Balance of Force: Book 1: The Gathering Storm
by MageOhki2
Summary: A Jedi finds a new padawan, it's a shame she finds the padawan in Nerima, and at the same time that Anakin is found.
1. Chapter 1

Eilsa Jardon sighed as she glanced at her surroundings, clear blue eyes taking in the scenery.

"Another backwater planet," she muttered as she shook her head, the ponytail of her straight black hair shifting about slightly under the hood of the brown cloak she currently wore. Underneath that were simple cotton white robes that hid her lean and athletic form.

If a passerby chanced to look into her hood, her pale and aristocratic face bore a small scar on her cheek, an indication of an old, old wound.

Not quite backwater, but definitely not the most advanced she had been on. Dodging the old fashioned radar to land her craft here, where her senses told her there would be easy resupply after she got lost.

As she walked though the market, it didn't take her long to realize that she would not find the supplies she needed here. The stalls and shops selling fresh food, mostly vegetables and fish. None of the fuel or other supplies she could use. The other shops were selling small electronics that she had built as a youngling.

The language was extremely difficult It didn't match any language that she was familiar with. She was a skilled translator, but this one eluded her. Only her mastery of the Force allowed her to acquire the gist of the conversation directly from the minds of the local denizens. Before she could attempt to talk to one of the venders, she staggered in shock as a cry screamed into her mind.

A young soul, calling for help against a terrible fear driven home to her by the child's own Force. Before she could think, the Force guided her actions and she blurred towards the strident call, not thinking about the possible ramifications of her actions.

Luckily, the residents of Nerima were used to the abilities of martial artists.

As she flashed over the roofs, cloak streaming behind; the clarion call of fear and terror struck her even more desperately causing her to move faster. Reaching for deeper and deeper levels of the Force, she rushed to save a soul from a horror beyond imagining.

As she homed in on the pit of despair, she skidded into an alley where a small redheaded child was being surrounded by some local predators. They looked vaguely like Cathar infants - small, furry, clawed, both playful and dangerous. She couldn't conceive why they were threatening a small child, till a smell of fish wafted across her nose, reminding her of some Cathar's love of fish. Before she could act, her senses verifying the hunger of the predators, the child's emotions... shifted was all she could think of... turning a desperate child to a mindless carnivore.

She stared, aware of how desperate the situation had become, especially when she felt the whisper of the child's own Force forge into insubstantial claws and harmlessly scattered the small animals. Her senses confirmed what she saw from the child's position, as if the child was an animal. The posture and behavior indicated no hunger or anger from the child and a whisper in her mind hinted at a way to help this hurt soul.

She watched the feral child carefully, letting the girl study her. She sunk her soul deeper into the Force, letting it steady her and sent out calming waves of emotions. Eilsa knelt in response to the child approaching her and was rewarded by a sniffing of her out-held hand.

Without warning, the child pounced, slamming into her chest, knocking her back onto the ground. She opened her eyes from the shock and found herself being stared at with inhuman curiosity. Calling upon the Force to calm the world around them, she sent waves of comfort as the purrs quieted and slowed.

As she felt the child's Force signature calm and settle into the state that meant sleep, she slipped in her own touch, sending the child deeper into slumber which would allow her to move the young girl safely and get her to the ship so she could gather information on this girl's health. She carefully gathered the girl as she resumed a more normal pattern for sleeping into her arms, and moved out of the alley and then took to the roofs with speed and control intent on not disturbing the bundle in her arms.

As the cloaked figure departed, faint calls of "Ranma!" could be heard over the wind.

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Balance of Force

By

Andrew 'MageOhki' Norris with grateful assistance and kibitzing from

Nicholas 'NightElf' Leifker

Major C and C provided (not all of it accepted, mind you, but most was) by Quedrom

Prologue

The Child.

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As Eilsa laid the child into the capsule she kept in her ship, she shook her head. A six year old. Unbelievable. She couldn't conceive of a Jedi able to form solid weapons with the Force, much less a child of such a young age using the Force to any significant degree. She brushed the bangs of the sleeping child, sighing softly at the thought of the scene earlier today. She stepped back and gestured at her medical droid to run a complete medical history of the child, although, only a Jedi healer could determine the cause and reasons for the state this girl went into.

She stood up as the droid began its work, and she went to the small galley, making a cup of kaff for herself. As she sipped it, she walked to the cockpit of her ship, to study her journey. A planet this advanced should have been discovered by the Order or Republic scouts already.

She was out of range of contact with the Temple, even if she was of the mind to seek their ... advice. She finally found the name of the planet, only because of the recording and translating watch she had her computer do, or was this Nihon the name of the area she was in? Eh, no real matter she thought as she stood in response to the medical droid's call for attention.

"Madam, you need to look at these results" M-21J spoke as Eilsa strode into the medical bay.

"Readings?" Her response was in a soft contralto as she held out her hand for the datapad. She glanced through the basic data, and then moved on history. She slowed down as her eyebrows rose, and her face paled.

She set aside the datapad and studied the child in the bed. Her Force presence blazed like a beacon, and any rational Jedi would assume that's why she lived through all the injuries that the droid reported. Part of her was severely tempted to put her into stasis and head directly for the Temple, since she was either an orphan or abused by her parents, but that would not be the way of the Jedi as she and a few others saw it. She couldn't work within whatever the law was here, but she could at least find out from the child's own lips what and how these conditions occurred, and who caused them.

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She wasn't taking her back. No way. No how. No chance was he returning to his parents. Nor the situation in Nerima. She regretted not listening to her first impulse, but that was a passing fancy. She also knew that what he told her, while more than he'd tell any stranger, was still incomplete, and he would have avoided the Neko-ken, as he called it training altogether. She breathed as she watched a 6-year-old body do a jump and a kick that many Jedi in their prime could not do.

She shook her head. Yes, the child, and while she believed his actual 17 years of age, she couldn't make herself consider Ranma a person on the verge of adulthood. While the child had many flaws, to be expected of one raised by a Sith in all but name, goodness still shone within the child. Not a bully to his true inferiors, nor someone who was greedy in an evil sense, or even one who sought power for power's sake. But... she had to fix this. The only way Ranma could become what her Force senses told her she could become, was if she took the child with her.

However, to do that, she'd need to acquire fuel and to deal with the Neriman mess. She couldn't just steal the child. Even though Ranma's father was a Sith, and his mother was a clear threat to her own child's safety, that still didn't give her the right or the duty to just steal the child away. It would not be the Jedi way, and even if she was willing to waive that, it would lower her to that... panda's level.

And in truth, she would have to also need to deal with the others in fairness. The Amazons, Ukyou, and the Tendos... they should provide no difficulty in this situation, but still by having Ranma disappear without at least letting them know and say goodbye to them was truly against the spirit of the Code she followed.

'Assuming I could kidnap the child, that is. Even if I did not need fuel, she is quite skilled.' She thought with a slight snort and smile.

She had a feeling that training Ranma in the ways of the Force would tax even Windu's skills... not because Ranma was inept... but because she exceeded her teacher or could quickly if her words about how fast she learned were true.

She picked up a data chip with a visual recording of how the Neko-ken was taught. She shuddered. The memory of Ranma's tone of voice as he described being put into the pit repeatedly...

The idea that someone was foolish enough to put a child through such torture was bad enough. Knowing that it was the boy's father made her sick.

It was nothing short of a miracle that Ranma didn't hate his father for this. Indeed, all throughout his tales, he never actually hated anyone. Some of their actions, yes, but not them.

She picked up another chip, relating the experience of Jusenkyou. Even when she saw it with her own eyes, she doubted she'd actually get anyone to believe this without them seeing it for themselves.

Yet another reason for the child to hate, and yet did not.

Another data chip.

"The suicide promise." She snarled softly before recovering her poise, still wondering at what type of mother would agree to a pledge made with a handprint by a 5 year old to -kill- himself if he wasn't... manly. She took a deep breath reciting the Code in her mind, till she calmed down. She had always felt drawn to children, and loved being with them, and often wondered if she made the right choice in staying a Jedi, instead of becoming a mother. How could she even consider herself a mother after having agreed to such an action. She couldn't bring herself to even think about striking down one of her padawans if they fell, but to fail to live up to some 'standard' as artificial and variable as being 'manly'? It was a perversion of the very nature of motherhood, and it both horrified and angered her deeply.

She stood up to collect herself and let the waves of anger wash away with her calming mantras. After that, she replayed the discussion of Happosai in her mind. There was a Sith if she ever had heard of one.

Self taught maybe, and not quite sunk to the level of depravity that some could go to, but clearly in thrall to the Dark side.

She briefly recalled the discussion of Shampoo and the other two

Amazons, and rather looked forward to meeting Cologne, but wasn't sure of Mousse. Shampoo had potential, however she was too old. She moved on to Ukyou and shook her head at another father that basically shuffled his problems onto his child.

She stopped pacing and thought about the Tendos. This would take careful handling. Her training as a diplomat allowed her to pick up on clues, and while she was sure Ranma didn't want to get married, even at his proper age, he did hold feelings for the Dark Marauder in training called Akane. He had fondness for Kasumi, the eldest of the three daughters while Nabiki...

It is said that there are many paths to the dark side, and greed is one of them. Perhaps it was a good thing she wasn't a student of this planet's way of the Force, otherwise there would be three Sith to consider.

Last, but not least, was Ryouga. She wasn't sure how to consider him. Was he just a victim of hardship and circumstance, or was he truly disturbed? Ranma's description of him wasn't conclusive enough, though Ranma didn't bash him, she sensed that Ranma was displeased about some of his behavior, but wouldn't say what.

She shook her head, thinking back onto the interview she had with the young man.

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"Hello, My name's Eilsa. What's yours?" Eilsa asked in a warm tone.

"... Ranma" a young female voice answered.

"Ranma? An interesting name. 'Wild horse', right?"

She was answered with a nod.

"Ranma, I hope you don't mind, but I need to ask a few questions."

Eilsa was rewarded with a sigh and an annoyed comment from the girl.

"Okay... what did Pop do now?"

Eilsa studied the child and came to a mental conclusion. This wasn't the first time something like this happened. What type of world had she landed on?

She shook her head. "Mind telling me why you acted like a cat?"

"Cause my father is an idiot" Ranma responded like it was the most obvious fact in the world.

"Ah... but how did that happen?" Eilsa was getting the funny sense she wasn't dealing with a six year old mentality. The patterns and emotions weren't corresponding to that, nor what thoughts she could sense. More like a 13 or 14 year old. Then again, the child was in a feline state of mind no less than an hour before, so the unexpected pattern might be intentional.

Ranma shrugged. "Like I said, Pops is an idiot. He found this martial arts technique - the Nekoken - and decided to teach me in it. Training consisted of wrapping me in fish sausage and tossing me into a pit full of c-c-cats - repeatedly" The offhand tone it was spoken with would fool most.

Eilsa wasn't one of them. "So... that would explain the injuries

I found." The tone made it sound like a mystery solved.

Ranma's expression was puzzled as she replied. "Injuries?"

"Your body shows a horrific number of injuries. Your bones have so many healed breaks that I lost count - everything from your jaw to ribs to both your arms and legs - on several occasions. Or was that something else?" Her tone of voice matched her eyebrow's questioning stance.

Ranma shrugged. "Eh, only scratches mostly from that. Lots of them, but can't recall any broken bones from it."

"So where did the broken bones come from?"

"Eh, training mostly, I guess." Ranma's casual attitude was beginning to scare the Jedi.

"14 recently acquired hairline fractures of the skull from training?" The stress on the last word indicated to anyone aware that Eilsa's view on such training was... displeased to say the least.

"Huh. Those are new. Akane's work." Ranma's response was casual.

"And who is this Akane?" Eilsa's voice responded not showing the growing horror she was experiencing.

"My fiancee." This offhand answer shut down Eilsa's mental processes for a second.

"Excuse me? As in a female intended?" Eilsa asked, confirming what she heard.

"Yup." An 'are you stupid'-tone, so typically teenager rattled the adult across from Ranma more.

She just knew something was way off. She wasn't sure what she was asking, but she had the feeling she was missing something... and well... "How old are you?"

"16"

Eilsa blinked. She rose from the chair, saying, "I'll be back in a second. Have some snacks."

Ranma nodded and started munching on the wafers she laid out.

Eilsa returned after verifying that Ranma was human with her medical droid. "Care to explain how you're 16? My medical ... device indicated that you were at best 6, more than likely 5."

"Well, that's a bit hard. You see, Ryogua found these mushrooms, and..." Ranma's voice washed over her, explaining the whole chain of events until "After we accidentally destroyed the last of them, I couldn't take losing all the things I trained for. I'd hate the thought of having to do that training trip again..."

Eilsa blinked. Every word Ranma said rang with truth. Some of

Ranma's words were self-serving statements certainly, but still

truth. And it would explain the injuries. However...

"I... find that hard to believe. Magic?" Eilsa couldn't keep

disbelief out of her voice.

"Got hot water?" Ranma enquired, smiling like she had a secret.

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Eilsa shook her head. She had to believe Ranma. Between the demonstrations she arranged and other things, it was all true. Of course, which was Ranma's point of view. She had to find the other point of view. Which means, she thought, time to investigate Nerima.

Not to mention figuring out why the same soul had two different levels of Force presence.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the Property of George Lucas, and Ranma ½ the property of Takashai, and all other right holders, no infringement intended, any original characters are Andrew Norris (derived however).

Responses to reviews, and information located at the URL in my Bio (Fourms)

Thanks to all responders. I do like feedback.

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Eilsa watched the youngling simply fly though the sky, dancing. She'd have been hard pressed to recall a neither more graceful nor more potent fighter of even master rank. The warriors of Earth had managed to develop unusual ways of using their life-force, and for those who were force sensitive, it truly took it to levels that even the great masters would be hard pressed to equal. Eilsa's expression turned to a pixie grin as she imaged Master Windu's expression as a youngling handed him his rear.

As Ranma hopped down, Eilsa decided to interest her in what the Force could do when properly trained.

"Impressive, some of the best I've seen." Eilsa watched as Ranma shrugged.

"No big. I'm the best." The ego with Ranma spoke that with troubled Eilsa, but she knew she could get around it.

Eilsa's raised eyebrow questioned Ranma's superiority, and before he knew it, he was in the air, being held by some invisible force.

"Really. An excellent fighter you may be. However, what if a person chose to remove your edges like I just did?" Eilsa's tone was amused.

Ranma struggled, twisting and turning becoming more frantic with each passing second, trying to find the grip points, then coming to a realization she was being held over every point of her torso and neck making breaking out impossible without leverage. "Lemme go!" She said that as she started to draw power to toss a kiblast at Eilsa.

Eilsa lowered Ranma rapidly in response to the feeling of Ranma gathering the Force to do something with it. "That's the least the Force can do. I can use it, and so can you."

Ranma got up, and glared slightly. "How did you do that?"

"By reaching out and using the Force. And many years of training." Eilsa smiled.

"What's the force?" Ranma's expression was still a bit irritated, but Eilsa noted the child's normal state had returned quickly.

"It's what we use to defend others, and keep the peace. It is energy created by all living things. It surrounds and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. It is all, and from it comes life, and to it we return." Eilsa smiled. "You were beginning to draw on it to do something when I put you on the ground."

"You mean you can lift people with Chi!" Ranma's expression was awed.

"If by Chi you mean the Force, yes... And that's the least of what we can do with it. Would you like to learn?" Eilsa waited to see what the possible padawan would say.

Ranma kicked a rock while pondering it. "I dunno... what else can you do with it?"

Eilsa smiled inwardly. Time to add more bait to the hook. "Well, I can use it to read people's emotions, which helps me defuse fights."

Ranma eyed her. "De... fuse? You mean like... not have the fight?" Ranma's face scrunched up; clearly remembering a few times she'd have loved to do that. "Man... that'd would have been great, with the Tomboy. Though it's fun sparring with Pigboy most of the time."

Eilsa nodded. "It's a long and hard road. You never finish learning, of course, but the initial training took me years, and years. And we'd have to go to my home, since that's where the training would take place."

Ranma snorted. "Betcha I could do it faster."

"Really... care to prove it?" Eilsa smiled. Lesson one, padawan.

"Sure!" Ranma beamed.

"Then I'll personally train you myself." Eilsa smiled. "And it does settle what you're going to do till you regain your age again. We'll go visit with your family, and tell them that you're coming with me to train, because you want to."

Ranma nodded, asking a question. "You'll feed me, right? While we're training?"

Eilsa shook her head slightly. "Of course. However, the real question you should have asked is this. 'Where do you live?' before agreeing to becoming my padawan."

The blink from Ranma told Eilsa a lot about his training. "Huh? Why would that matter? And what's Padawan?"

"Lesson 1 and 2, Padawan." The Jedi smiled softly. "Padawan is the term for a Jedi student, which you are now. Second lesson. Get the details of an agreement first, before agreeing to it. I live on Coruscant, in the Jedi Temple. Which is roughly 11 million light years away."

Ranma just stared at her for a bit. "Umm... what's a light year?"

"The distance that light travels in a year. Didn't your school teach this?" Eilsa's voice conveyed her shock. Sure Nippon was primitive, but given the electronics she saw, they should know what a light year is.

"Didn't do much Schooling, Pops thought it was a waste of time." Ranma shrugged. "So, it's a long way?" Eilsa stared. She just clued into why her new padawan was so skilled

in the arts of war. That's all he learned. "Oh, yes, a very long way. Even in my starship, one of the fastest built; it took over two months to get there."

"Oh." Ranma's tone of voice said it all to Eilsa.

"Don't worry; I'll leave a commutations device behind so you can talk to your mother and friends. It'll be real time, and it's quite costly. I'll have a devil of a time justifying it to the Temple." Eilsa shrugged. "It's not a problem. I'm sure that the Council will want to investigate this planet more, anyways."

Ranma just blinked repeatedly.

"A bit of a shock? Consider it the first lesson I can teach you about the battle fought with words instead of weapons." Eilsa watched Ranma nod dumbly, realizing she had a long way to go with this student. She sighed, and looked deeply into Ranma's eyes as she stated her next line. "Ranma, I know you've spent most of your life devoted to training your body in your art. However, if you are going to get the most of our abilities, you must be able to focus your abilities. If you don't train your mind for combat, it becomes easy for you to be deceived. In this case, you could potentially become that which you most fear - someone who hurts - or worse, kills - the innocent. Do you want that? I would say most of your problems with Akane are due to the lack of training with your mind." She watched emotions play out over the child's face, and decided to add an extra little thought. "Some have stated that words are the most powerful weapon a person possesses, Ranma. But think of this. How many times have you fallen for a trick or a play of Nabiki's, or one of your other's rivals, who while not as skilled in the art of fighting, is skilled with the art of words?"

Ranma just stared at the Jedi. Apparently the child never thought about it that way. "But... pops said..."

Eilsa raised her hand. "You agreed to allow me to train you. There's a whole other dimension of combat and the use of what you call Chi, which he made sure you'd be unable to easily learn. Maybe because he didn't consider it important, maybe because he didn't learn it himself..." She trailed off letting him see if there was any other reason that Genma might not have made sure Ranma was well rounded.

"Dammit, Pops. Why?" Ranma grumbled kicking a wall slightly.

Eilsa shrugged. "How many times has your father made critical mistakes? How many times has he been wrong? This is just a string of mistakes he made. I might accept honest mistakes, except the consequences are so dire, for so many of these. And they're repeated over and over again." She watched as Ranma just pondered those words.

With his continued pause she stood up, brushing off her robes. "Ponder it; I need to go visit your parents and family. Sleep on it, indeed. Just tell the droid what you want, and he'll get you some food."

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Balance of Force Book 1, Chapter 1

The Child

By Andrew 'MageOhki' Norris

With grateful assistance from Nicholas 'NightElf' Leifker

Various members of the #fukufic crowd and special thanks to

Quedrom and Ellf

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Eilsa consulted the map that she had acquired, along with the directions Ranma had given her, and quickly found the Dojo. She was glad Ranma listened to her and stayed on the ship to sleep. She didn't want the negotiations to be disrupted by the child's presence. As she walked through the gate, many emotions washed over her, the most predominate was worry and fear. She blinked. Some anger, yes, but it was almost lost in overriding fear and worry. She shook her head, realizing she had once again let her initial thoughts override her better judgment. She forgot at times how difficult it was to separate her natural empathy from her logical mind. Master Yoda kept telling her to control it. Worse, as with everyone in there, Ranma's very force signature simply shouted her emotions at anyone with the talent and training to read them. She knocked on the wood frame of the door, and waited as she heard movement to the door.

Kasumi slid the door open, and saw a hooded woman dressed strangely at the door. "Tendo Residence, I am Tendo Kasmui, how can I help you?" Her voice was tight from the worry and frustration she was hiding.

Eilsa raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly. "I would speak with you and your family and the Saotomes if they are here." She was calm and collected, while she read Kasumi's emotions, and felt worry, frustration, and a sudden spike of hastily repressed anger that didn't reach her face.

"I'm afraid that this is not a ... good time to handle business..." Kasumi let her words trail off hinting that she would like a name.

Eilsa thanked the Force that she listened to Ranma pronounce his name, and the correction she gave, so she could answer this correctly. "Jardon Eilsa. It's... about Saotome Ranma." She didn't miss the spike of hope, anger, resignation that all flashed though the young woman in front of her. Eilsa itched for a force tester to confirm what her senses were telling her.

Kasumi nodded sharply, and bowed, saying "Please, come in, then." She watched as the hooded figure bowed and walked in, removing her hood. She studied the person, placing her age as older than most of Ranma's fiancées, and noted the warmth in the eyes, but couldn't quite repress the irritation she felt as the person didn't remove her boots.

"I'm sorry, I'm a stranger in a strange land, am I doing something wrong?" Eilsa's voice calmed Kasumi.

Kasumi couldn't keep a slight smile from appearing. "We take our shoes off in houses in Nihon, Jardon-san."

Eilsa blinked but shrugged and quickly removed her boots, while Kasumi discreetly nudged a pair of slippers towards her.

As the slippers were put on, Kasumi gestured at the hall mentioning to the older woman, "You are quite excellent in your timing, Jardon-san, for both families you wish to talk to, plus some of Ranma's friends are here."

Eilsa walked into the room, pausing to take the scene in. She blinked at seeing a panda with a blade at his neck and the blade was held by a redheaded woman with a striking resemblance to Ranma. She swept over the rest, and noted that besides a glare from the redheaded woman at the panda, and several young women occasionally glaring at a young man, the overall mood of the room was as she felt outside. One of worry and fear for someone. All eyes turned to her.

Eilsa took a deep breath; she looked from one person to another and locked eyes with them. Diplomacy had its nuances. Sometimes it worked best to appease and show peace; other times, a show of force was required. "Saotome Genma?"

The panda nodded weakly.

"Saotome Nodoka?"

The woman next to him nodded not removing the blade from the panda's neck.

Eilsa noted the source of some of the anger, and focused her eyes in that direction. "Tendo Akane?"

"What did the idiot do now?" she replied.

Eilsa held her ground; she let her Force presence extend further, increasing her intimidation. "Other than receiving treatment for hairline fractures to her skull? Accepting my offer to train her in areas both relating to the art, and in areas that were severely crippled by her father."

Akane blinked. Before she could respond, Kasumi had muttered something about "about time..."

Nodoka paled and her katana slipped from her fingers, scraping the panda's fur off.

"But..." Akane trailed off wincing at the level stare from the lady.

"Some apparently are about a month old, though given the child's healing abilities, I'd put them at anywhere from several days ago at the earliest." Eilsa raised an eyebrow. "Care to tell me how she got them?"

Before Akane could respond, Nabiki butted in. "See what happens when you play with your toys too hard, could break them." Nabiki grinned at her younger sister, clearly not concerned about Ranma.

Eilsa saw Akane pale more, and a glare from Ukyo and Shan Pu to her along with a repressed spike of emotion from Kasumi filtered into the Jedi's mind. She found Akane's emotions most interesting. Shock, denial, her angry overtones suppressed for the time.

"Fortunately for you, you're not the only one I need to talk to." She turned her eyes toward Genma. "When I found Ranma, she was acting in a most... peculiar manner. When she came to, she mentioned something about the Neko-ken. You wouldn't have anything to say about that, would you?"

She had the satisfaction of watching Genma pale, and Nodoka look puzzled. She tried to estimate Nodoka's age, and came to a sobering conclusion. Nodoka was no more than a child herself, really, when she had Ranma.

Her eyes alighted on Cologne who had a mask herself on, and was hiding her emotions behind a primitive shield. Eilsa filed that away, and swept her eyes across the rest of the room gauging others' reaction to this news.

Eilsa sighed. "There comes a time to settle accounts; now is a good time as any would be. Ranma is very much a mystery wrapped in an enigma, as are most of you - and I will know why. I have a five-year-old girl who claims to be a sixteen year old male at times, and a cat at other times. Her medical history or currently healing injuries would have killed her, if it wasn't for her ... more unusual talents."

Nabiki smirked. "10,000 yen" She clearly expected to be paid, and Eilsa felt the emotions radiating from the young girl.

Eilsa turned the most contemptuous glare she could. "I didn't ask you, Tendo Nabiki. I'm asking them."

Nabiki smirked. "They don't have the whole story, I do."

The headshake she was returned with surprised her. The next words stunned her.

"No, you don't. Lie again, and you won't know what happens to you."

With that statement, Eilsa turned to Kasumi. "Do you know what happened?"

Before Kasumi could speak, Nodoka interrupted confusion clear in her voice. "Excuse me... did you say girl? Why are you saying my son is a girl?"

Eilsa blinked, realizing Nodoka didn't realize about the 'curse' as Ranma called it. "Ah... well. When I came across Ranma, she was female, as she fell into the Neko-ken. And her signature was far more... visible to me, in her female form. The Force wills, as it wills."

Nodoka glared at Genma, understanding the reluctance of him to tell her Ranma's curse. Genma shivered thanking the kami that Kasumi had managed to get Nodoka to destroy that contract.

Cologne blinked, narrowing her eyes, trying to recall something. "Excuse me. The Force?"

It took a great deal of effort for Eilsa to keep from smiling. "What do you know of the Force?"

"You have a strong aura, one of the strongest I've seen, and the words familiar to me. But that's it. Are you talking about ki or chi?" Cologne inquired.

Eilsa did smile. "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. It is all. Why, do you know something more?" Her inquiry was met by a stunned look from

Cologne who hit Shan Pu to the ground, groveling, along with her own grovel.

Cologne from a kneeling position spoke with a reverent tone. "Honored Jedi, Master of the Light. Our legends speak of You and yours."

Her tone shifted, as if she was reciting a basic tenant to a student, and wasn't aimed at Eilsa. "The Jedi, Masters of the Light and the Sith, Lords of Darkness descended from the heavens at the end of the Great War. They fought on the blessed and cursed ground known to us all as Jusenkyou. The powerful and terrible magics warped the world and the very fabric of life around them. Blood from the light and dark spilled there, staining the waters with red and leaving the impression of those magics used even today. In the end, the remaining Jedi defeated the Lord of the Dark, sending him to the pit of darkness, and destroyed his forces. The remaining Jedi each went their own ways.

One, a great bird went into the mountain of Jusendo to watch over us all, leading a small band of his own kind. He was changed by the very powers he wielded. Another group, made mostly of males made their home near a second mountain forming the Musk. One other group, comprised mostly of females, formed my very tribe, being our forbearers. A few left, wandering away, including the one that held them together and his wife."

Eilsa raised an eyebrow. "Do you know the names of these Jedi? Or the Sith for that matter?"

Cologne didn't rise from her stance on the ground. "The avian, my lady was Saffron, while our leader only allowed herself to be called the Exile. The Musk were lead by Atton Reed. The leader of the whole was called Revan, and his wife was Bastila Shan."

Eilsa blinked. "I wish I had my holocron handy." She shook off the wish for it and continued on.

"Now. I do recall that you have some stories to tell?" She smiled a bit more frostily as she continued. "Tales of dumping a child into a pit of cats, perhaps? Or maybe instead I could find out just how many times a person was hit over the head with a blunt instrument?" She waved at Cologne. "I do not accept service nor do I accept worship, Cologne. Please, please, rise and be seated."

Cologne rose with respect, and sat down. "May I ask a question first, honored Jedi?"

"Of course."

"Since it is clear you've had contact with Ranma, perhaps you could answer a question that is burning in all our minds?" Cologne's slightly sardonic tones were belied by her smile. Cologne received an amused nod in response. "Where is the child?"

Eilsa smiled. "On my ship, sleeping I believe. Or depleting my food stocks, whichever."

Nodoka's eyebrows rose slightly, along with Cologne's. Before Cologne could speak, Nodoka broke in with a sharp question. "And just why didn't you bring my son back?"

Eilsa gazed upon the younger woman, and shook her head. "For two reasons. As by her injuries, she was clearly what any medical professional would consider abused, so I would be ill done to possibly take her back to an abusive environment." Eilsa sipped at the tea Kasumi placed by her side, as she watched Cologne touch various places on each of the teenagers backs, to keep them still. She nodded with a smile of appreciation to both Kasumi and Cologne, and continued. "Second, she accepted my offer of training, and as such, has become a Padawan of the Jedi order, under me as her Master. Which makes her MY responsibility under Republic law."

Nodoka gripped her katana again, while trembling slightly. "I am Ranma's Mother!"

Eilsa nodded accepting that. "Not questioning that, Saotome-san. However, once a child is accepted by the Jedi order as a trainee, the child loses all legal ties to his or her birth family. Usually this is done with the full concurrence of the birth family, of course... which I do intend to get."

"And if Auntie Nodoka and Uncle Genma don't give you their blessings?" Kasumi inquired sweetly.

Eilsa turned to look at Kasumi with a raised eyebrow. Kasumi's naming of Genma had a repressed spike of distaste and anger. "I don't think they would be... difficult to convince. Even setting aside the 'magics' I possess, I'm quite convincing on my own, plus I'm willing to compromise on several aspects of what the Order tends to do."

Nodoka marshaled her arguments to be undercut by Eilsa's raised hand. "I'm sorry, Saotome-san, but I think you should hear all the reasons why this is a good thing for Ranma."

Eilsa paused to be sure she had all their attention. "First and foremost, while Ranma's case of ailurophobia is the most extreme I've heard about, I am very confident in the Order's healers to severely lessen it, or remove it all together." Nodoka's blink and shocked expression indicated that Nodoka also didn't know about this. Eilsa stomped on her anger again, knowing it would do no good and lead to the darkness if she just lopped off Genma's head. "Second, the order and I know a lot more overall about what you call Chi, and we the Force, and how to use it. I mean, can any of you lift a car with your will and 'Chi' alone?" Eilsa smiled a bit amusedly as she noted Cologne's

brief expression of disbelief. "I see you don't quite believe that."

Cologne nodded. "I have lived for 300 years, and I have not seen anyone able to do such a thing, Honored Jedi..." She trailed off, inviting proof of Eilsa's words.

Eilsa nodded and raised her hand. Before the room could react, everyone BUT Eilsa was a good two feet off the ground. She lowered her hand and smirked slightly. "Proof enough?" She was rewarded by a stunned nod by all. "Thirdly. I can FIX the damage Genma has done to Ranma's growth as an honorable and good person. Right now, I don't think the poor child has the ABILITY to have a relationship, or at least one of his proper age, much less have one of an adult nature." She stopped, taking a deep breath, watching as Cologne and Kasumi nodded, and Nodoka stared at Eilsa in shock.

"All of which, I'll concede are not by themselves viable reasons in separation. I am sure that you could cure the Neko-ken, am I wrong?" Eilsa waited for Cologne's statement.

"No, we cannot. We cannot even lessen the fear given how long Ranma's been affected by it." Cologne sighed. Eilsa nodded, hiding a smile.

"Fixing Ranma's lack of education and socialization, well, I'm sure that could be done too..." Kasumi's expression argued against it as well. Eilsa blinked. Ranma did have defenders here... just overwhelmed by the situation.

Cologne sighed. "And what about the honor debts he has acquired?" Eilsa smiled in response to that statement.

"Can she honor them as she is?" That statement was rewarded by a hesitant shake by Nodoka, and a stronger shake by Cologne.

"I seem to think that Nodoka doesn't know the full story of Ranma's life?" Eilsa inquired, resulting in two sighs from Kasumi and Cologne, an attempt by Genma to edge out the door, only to be stopped by Cologne's quick staff tattooing a pattern on his back, and Nodoka's hesitant statement.

"I had received progress reports..." Cologne snorted.

"Kasumi-chan. Perhaps you should tell us all what you know, since you've had the most conversations with Ranma." Cologne was rewarded with a small smile from the mentioned woman.

Kasumi looked at Nodoka and glared at Genma. "Well, Auntie Saotome, it began one rainy afternoon, as our father called us to a family meeting..." Eilsa listened intently to Kasumi's tale, with additions from Ukyou, Shan Pu, and Cologne. Nodoka's expression became more and more horrific as each new detail came out. Kasumi finished by explaining what happened after Akane had implied that there were no more mushrooms to restore Ranma's and Ryouga's age. "Father attempted to cheer up Ranma by giving her a mustache rub, and she fled that. Akane had hidden some of the mushrooms, and figured that Ranma would return shortly. After they were the proper size, and cooked, we found that Ranma hadn't returned. Akane, Ukyou and Shan Pu went out looking for Ranma, and Ryogua stayed behind. In a fit of anger over Akane's worry for Ranma, he destroyed Ranma's mushroom, and right now, we have no more mushrooms." Kasumi finished, taking a sip of tea to relax her throat, while pretending to not notice Akane, Ukyo and Shan Pu's glares at Ryogua.

Eilsa sipped some tea and nodded. "I see. This matches with what Ranma told me, not as in much detail, and excepting the bit about there being more mushrooms, but there are some differences, of course." She paused. Her eyes tracked to Nodoka.

Nodoka's eyes were streaming, unable to make a sound. Eilsa nodded in relief, it appeared that her initial thoughts on Nodoka were wrong. However, her eyes went to Genma's prone form. Only the pressure points that Cologne had struck that kept Genma in one place. Eilsa sighed. She really had a bad feeling about this. "I take it that divorce is legal here?" She raised an eyebrow at the slight disappointment from Kasumi, and the nod from Cologne.

Eilsa's eyes tracked over the rest. Ukyou's horrified and pale face indicated she was unaware as well, while Shampoo's hunched over form indicated the same. Akane had joined Nodoka in crying, while... where was the middle sister? No matter. Soun was apparently attempting to work up some indignation.

Nodoka gathered herself. "You say your healers could fix this... Neko-ken?" Nodoka was rewarded by a nod from the Jedi. "Then, if it is truly my child's wish... I must consent. I will hear it from his own lips, however. And I want my child home as much as possible, and to hear from Ranma as often as possible." Nodoka's further statements were broken by Soun's rising to the statements she made.

"No! The Schools MUST BE JOINED!" Soun was rising and Eilsa's hands flew to her lightsaber as she felt a tainted feeling forming around Soun. Before her hand had removed her lightsaber from her belt, and activated it, Nodoka had already scooped up her katana, and had it across Soun's neck, interrupting the building up of the Force Eilsa felt.

"Haven't you done ENOUGH in that mindset?" Nodoka's voice was quiet. "Haven't we all just done enough to ruin my child's life already? You with the pressures of an engagement, without helping Ranma to solve his problems. Me, letting Genma lie to me repeatedly!" Nodoka couldn't continue as she started to sob.

"Scattering the ashes of the past is never pleasant. Realizing our dreams of the future are as much dust as well is even less pleasant." Cologne took a breath. "It does allow for new dreams to rise, however, such as new growth can rise from a fire in a forest." She

shook her head. "We have failed ourselves, our ancestors, and more importantly Ranma, all in the name of greed for his body. This has resulted in all of our dreams for him destroyed, and the things the child held as important, ruined. We never asked what he wanted out of this. Our failure again. Perhaps we can grow as well." Her eyes met Eilsa's. "What will the future hold for young Ranma?"

Eilsa nodded slightly in response to Cologne's statement. "Training, of course. Doing what a Jedi does. Communications with you all, of course. I am not the type to take a person away from those he or she views as friends. Besides that? I've never been one to see the future, nor hold much faith in those visions. In motion, it always is, and it makes fools of those who seek to control it."

Cologne nodded. "And when can we see Ranma?"

Eilsa nodded. "As soon as I go to my ship. I still need to find fuel and certain supplies. Is there a chance you can help me?"

Cologne winced. "While I have contacts, I would need a list of what you need, and what could be used... before saying one way or the other."

Eilsa nodded. "Then I will bring back both my padawan, and the list. Good day."

Genma waited for a moment. He mentally snarled, keeping that expression off his face as to not warn anyone. No mere woman was going to take HIS heir away. Happosai had taught him well. If you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself, and do it as painfully as possible. Shame that the bombs didn't kill the bastard pervert. He kept his eye on Cologne and his wife as they discussed something, and as she moved her eyes from him, he moved.

Cologne spun, and seeing Genma hunch over, began to move. However, to her shock, Genma was gone before she could get to him. "Dammit!" Kasumi's eyebrows rose up in response to Cologne's curse.

"Child, I suspected Genma would try something. I underestimated him, though. Apparently the pressure points wore off before I thought they would on him. Must be Happosai's influence. Come, we have to follow the Jedi, else she might kill him." Cologne saw several blank looks as if asking 'This would be bad, why?' "While I don't disagree with killing the panda, children... Ranma would!" Several nods of comprehension answered her, as they all got up to track the woman who had left.

oooooo

Genma roof hopped in his technique of invisibility, keeping a eye out on the woman who had his heir, and was occasionally looking back, as if someone was following her. He smirked. Cologne was foolish to think an apprentice to Happosai would be affected for long by pressure points. The master was a genius with them, especially the more painful ones. And this woman? Ha. She was no warrior, for she never looked up, not that she would have seen him anyways.

Eilsa checked back again. She'd have sworn someone was following her. No signs of a stealth cloak, and her senses didn't say anyone was following her... just the back of her neck itching. She shook her head, and suddenly spun, igniting her lightsaber and ducking. She'd never know how she was warned, but the clang of the fist against her ship's hull made her thankful. She rolled, and stood up in a neutral stance. "Genma. I should have known you were too passive." She hissed at the man.

Genma smiled at her, a evil smile. "You think that little toy will do you any good? Try my power! KIJIN RAISHU DAN!" With his cry, his hands snapped backwards, and only Eilsa's honed instincts allowed her to drop to the ground, and parts of her hair went to the ground, cut off by the vacuum blades, which went on to cause tears in her ship's hull. Genma sped forward attempting to stomp her into the ground, but was failed by her quick kip and flip forward over him, and her attempt to stab him though the chest, which he dodged, and leapt to the side avoiding any follow up attack.

Eilsa eyed Genma, going into a Makashi stance, and preparing to move smartly. She put everything out of her head, including the arrival of several sets of footsteps, and settled herself into the Force, letting it guide her to victory in this fight. She was rewarded by the sense to move one way and she did so as Genma chased one of his vacuum blade attacks in, and she spun around, striking, running her lightsaber though his shoulder via a spin and a stab though the back.

Genma rolled clutching his shoulder, and standing up, snarling. "I'll make that your last, woman!" Eilsa just eyed him, as Cologne held Nodoka back.

"Bring it. Only reason you have your head, is I don't think Ranma would want you dead." Her calm and clear voice answered his snarling fury.

Genma took a deep breath and rapidly swung his hands back causing a crackling sound, as several small blades raced for the Jedi who weaved though the vacuum blades, losing bits of her clothing, and small slices on her skin appearing. He attempted to take a few steps back to engage the Goshin Dai Ryu, but Eilsa was on him, and before he could finish wrapping the cloth, or even take another step, a sharp burning pain screamed from his left shoulder as he heard a thump on the ground. Eilsa spun and eyed Genma, blood dripping from several of her wounds.

"Do you yield, Genma Saotome" She asked, showing no visible strain from the combat.

Genma snarled; his remaining hand glowed with power. Elisa sighed and prepared herself for the final charge, when a single word cut through the air.

"Hold!" That voice laced with power and instant obedience stopped all but three. One, a small child sneaking down the ramp of the ship, but sticking to shadows; second, a wizened old man, and third, the Jedi master, who spun towards the voice.

The Jedi was rewarded by a dry chuckle. "I didn't believe my master on the legends. Shame on me. Good thing I remembered. We owe yours a debt, Jedi." The voice belonged to the old man, who had a small smirk on his face, while he held a small tube in one hand.

Eilsa raised an eyebrow a calm expression showing on her face. "Oh?" Inwardly, she was rattled. She had never heard her title spoken with such rancor and hate. Only... Oh... dear.

Happosai smiled as she paled slightly. "I see you have figured it out. Excellent. Shame on you poaching my heir, Jedi. Please, you didn't think I wouldn't follow the last of the Revan's heirs? To finally sway them to the truth of the Force? The one and only truth!"

Eilsa nodded. Revan's departing of the other survivors made perfect sense now. He knew that a Sith was left. She got a further shock as a red blade arose from the tube in the old man's hand. She settled herself deeper into the Force, preparing to take the battle to him.

Before Eilsa could move, a ping pong ball attempted to slam in to the wizened old man, only to be batted aside with a force push, and then... "Time for you to learn to respect your real master". As Happosai said that, sparks, then sheets of low powered lighting slammed into Ranma, knocking her out, not before she screamed briefly as her body arched in response to the electricity and hate running though her frame. "There, that'll keep you out of this!" The words were accompanied with a truly evil smirk, showing that the old man had enjoyed that. Happosai flipped back as Eilsa charged attempting to end the fight fast with a stab to the chest, only to be met by his flip and parry.

Eilsa leapt back, and back again, retreating from his hyper aggressive attacks. She needed leverage to be able to set him up in a trap, but he was so small and so fast, it was worse than fighting Master Yoda! Not to mention, for such a small man, he was incredibly strong as her one attempt to lock blades nearly resulted in her decapitation by her own blade.

Happosai smiled. "Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Jedi?" His sinister words and twisted expression were in accentuation to his force thrown bombs that kept the Jedi hopping, and completely on the defensive. Not to mention the blast fragments added more tears to her clothing, and more scratches to her body.

"No, just a bit surprised. I'd have figured anyone as old as you couldn't rise to the occasion." Eilsa bit back, hoping to throw him off balance as she leapt over, and whirled though more fragments. She needed a distraction badly.

Happosai smirked. "Not bad, not bad. Time to show you how I can really rise to the occasion." With that, he took a step back, and several dozen trees of ancient oak came out of the ground and then aimed themselves at the Jedi. She was nearly shaken off her feet by the earth's response to the trees being torn from the ground, and Nodoka had fallen because of it.

She eeped, and force leapt out of the way, as the trees came in, two of them shattering on her ship's hull, one being driven into the ship; and the rest went beyond the ship. Her landing was shaky and she wondered just how in the name of the Force he did that. She risked a glance at Genma, and saw him looking more and more drained, along with Soun, who had come with them. Both men had painful expressions, and looked like they wanted to scream, but couldn't. She felt the earth shake as the trees landed, rearranging the landscape behind her, flattening a small hut.

Eilsa stared, realizing what he was doing. "COLOGNE!" She shouted as she sent a tree back at Happosai, who nimbly leapt over it, landing in the position he was in before. She watched as the tree that she threw embedded itself into the ground, causing a second shiver to run though the earth. She had to keep him distracted till Cologne could attack and hopefully defeat him.

Before Happosai could do anything else, a shout of "JOUTEN MOUI BAKFUU" rang out, as a pure sphere of power slammed into him from his flank, followed up by several dozen small spatulas and two girls charging in, with blunt instruments ready to maul. He stood up, shaking off the blast, and met the young ladies' charge with his lightsaber ready.

Happosai flipped away from spatulas, and sheared though Shampoo's bonbori, landing on Shampoo's rear leg, breaking the bone there, causing her to bite a scream off. The whimper brought a gleeful grin to the man's face. Leaping up again, while dodging Akane's mallet, which shook the earth as much as it would have shook the Sith. As Akane attempted to bring it back up for a smash, he force pushed her into the ship's hull, knocking her out. Cologne stood by, panting, building up energy for a second try.

"So, going to interfere, Cologne. Thought you knew better. Shame. Could have been fun." With that, Happosai shot out a second sheet of lighting, causing Cologne to drop to her knees, while she refused to give him the satisfaction of screaming. A slight expression of displeasure was seen on his face, and he sent more lighting onto the elder. Caught up in this, he nearly failed to dodge the giant spatula that nearly took his head off, but did leave a long cut along his back. Ukyo spun away, dodging her way out of his immediate range, as her slice caused him to drop his lightsaber. He smiled evilly at the look of fear on Ukyo's face.

Happosai leapt away, panting. In a reddish storm around him, energy streamed from Genma and Soun straight into him, healing the wounds of battle the ladies had inflicted on him. Eilsa watched horrified as Genma simply... shriveled up, becoming one with the force, and Soun joined him shortly. Before she could formulate a response, a shout interrupted her thoughts. "SHI SHI HOKUDAN!" Ryouga had snuck up onto a flanking position and used his most powerful move, and she didn't like the feel of depression and fear in it. Happosai was blown into her ship's hull by the green blast, and slid off the hull, leaving a dent. Before he could reclaim his lightsaber, or even set up a new defense he was quickly pounced on by a young man dressed in a hakama.

"STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE!" Accompanying those words, was a blur of strikes from the wooden blade in the hands of the young man who finally found his calling as a Samurai.

Eilsa watched as several of the high speed strikes struck, rattling the Sith lord, but before she could rush to the side of the brave man, Happosai's lightsaber flew to his hand and reignited. Happosai spun up, landing behind the swordsman and he struck, separating Kuno's waist lengthwise and he twisted and knocked the two halves of the body apart.

A horrified shout of "BROTHER!" rang out, followed by repeated whip strikes, which were all destroyed by the flashing lightsaber, and Eilsa had leapt forward to take advantage of the distraction, but wasn't fast enough to keep the young girl from screaming as a tree branch impaled her, but she watched amazed, as the leotard clad girl kept struggling to reach her enemy.

Chains whipped in, and before Happosai could react, several spikes linked to chains penetrated his body and pinned him to the hull of the ship, with a sword following the chains, narrowly dodged as the old man pulled away from the spikes, leaving a blood trail on the hull. Happosai's response was a sheet of lighting on the young man holding the chains that caused the younger warrior to arch and scream before he fell, smoking. Eilsa had gotten close enough to strike and spun onto the Sith master, plunging her lightsaber though his heart, and pulled the energy blade up, separating Happosai's head from his body. Eilsa stood and deactivated her lightsaber.

Sickened beyond words at the cost of this battle, she went first over to Ranma, placing herself in the grip of the force, long enough to check on those living. As she suspected, the Sith had calculated the lighting just enough to put Ranma out, not to hurt the child, and with Cologne's call, she rushed over to the leotard clad girl. Scanning quickly, and suppressing the gore that rose from the injuries the girl had suffered, she nodded. "We need to take this out, then I can attempt to heal it." Cologne nodded.

"Good, she was brave, and proved herself a worth Amazon, she shouldn't be allowed to be wasted by this injury, and we have no time to get her to a local healer. She is Kuno Kodachi, from a samurai line. Proved worthy of her ancestors today, she did." Cologne eyed the shell shocked survivors', who were dazed at their first taste of real battle. As the two worked to save the girl's life, the others came to grips with this bloody day.

Ryouga walked over to Mousse's side and dropped to his knees, while the three girls concentrated on helping Cologne and the Jedi save Kodachi. "You did good, today, Mu Tsu" Ryouga whispered in Chinese. "I'll make sure your village knows you died worthy of their respect today. He stood up, and walked to Kuno's side, and bowed, while clapping his hands three times. His prayer was unheard of by anyone, as Eilsa had dashed into her ship, bringing out a few supplies, and a weird looking robot who went to work on the wounded Kodachi.

Elisa let the Force widen her focus; she let the entirety of the battlefield absorb numbly into her consciousness. M-21J carried Kodachi back into the ship, where a bacta tank no doubt awaited; she would be scarred, but she'd live. At the edge of her vision, she noted Nodoka cradling her child in her arms, and crying in relief at Ranma's minor injuries. A gasp from behind her caught her attention; she whirled around to face the source. Next to Akane's elder sisters was a brown haired man, who was just... centered, as she could put it, and even at the signs of carnage didn't turn a blink, just went to each dead body, confirming the deaths. The two girls just stared at Genma and Soun's lifeless and desiccated bodies.

Eilsa walked over to the two father's bodies, placing a hand on both girl's shoulders. She had heard rumors about such a Force-leeching technique used by the Sith, but this was the first time she had seen it's horrible effects. Desiccated husks that could have been dead for years curled up on the ground, their fetal position and looks of agony were the only testament to what had gone on only minutes before as they were used to fuel Happosai's power. The Jedi sighed as she watched Nodoka's fussing over Ranma woke the child, and the young martial artist's eyes widened in shock at the battlefield, unable to form coherent words at the sight of carnage that would not normally be expected by anyone.

oooooo

The Jedi walked into the Cat Cafe, looking for someone. Her eyes brightened as she spotted the elder at a table, doing paperwork. The crowds this restaurant normally would have respected the black bordered picture, and chose to wait till the mourning for a death was over, before resuming a normal routine.

Eilsa didn't like asking the elder for assistance since she was handling all the arrangements for the funeral. As she walked over to the table in the corner she pondered her situation. While her ship was damaged, she did have a astromech droid on board, allowing the majority of the repairs to go with little hassle. Most of the supplies and parts she needed for repairs she was able to gather, or had spares for, however this did not include one critical item, without which she'd be unable to return home. The Jedi assumed a relaxed standing position, as she arrived at Cologne's table. Eilsa noted the exhaustion in the elder's slumped shoulders, the only outward sign of the costs of the previous day's battle. She waited till the Elder sighed, and interrupted her. "Elder Cologne? I have a request if you don't mind the interruption?"

Cologne eyed the younger woman. "I am glad for the interruption. What can I do for you?"

"I need a certain form of chemical, and was wondering if you had the contacts for it." Eilsa didn't hold out hope, but knew that she didn't have the contacts to even begin to hunt down the fuel, or even cause it to be made.

Cologne tapped her staff slightly. "I might, especially if you have its chemical formula, if nothing else, the local school's chemistry club should be able to help."

Eilsa nodded, handing over the fuel formula. "The one I really want, the top formula, is called Tibanna, but that's a naturally produced chemical, so I doubt Terra has it, I'd take the other two in order of preference, one's called Elinian, the other Zorkia, both used to cool my ship's hyperdrive and act as propellant for my engines."

Cologne waved her to a seat, and smiled. "I take it while you have their formulas, you don't know how to make it?" She was rewarded with a smile from the Jedi and a nod. Cologne continued onwards, with a topic she preferred more. "I take it you're taking a break from training Ranma?" The elder inquired as she was pouring a cup of tea for the Jedi.

Eilsa shook her head. "No, I'm letting Ranma enjoy these few days with her mother."

Cologne sat back and quirked an eyebrow. "I do have a question, if you don't mind."

Eilsa nodded, and sipped at her tea.

"Why do you think of Ranma as a girl? It's clear the child prefers his male form, and that was what he was born as." Cologne's expression was guarded.

"Ranma's force signature as a male is powerful enough to be a Jedi, but in female form, blazes with the Force. I've never seen a Jedi or Force sensitive with as deep of a connection as Ranma does when female." Eilsa shrugged slightly, and added. "Plus, water doesn't seek her out as much, when not male." Cologne laughed at that, and then spoke.

"Oh, if you try to hide it, hot water will seek Ranma out... unless there's a change in the curse... which is possible, I assume. The pools do strange things, and are quite quick to make sure the forms... fit the person's needs. Not wants."

Eilsa nodded in response, and sat back in a relaxed silence with the Elder.

Eilsa was the first to break the companionable silence, with a question. "What of the children?" Her question was vague, but Cologne knew the meaning of the question.

"As you know, my great granddaughter's claim is honorably voided, but the Cat Cafe is bringing in enough money to be worth continuing, and she'll be useful here. The Tendo sisters?" Cologne sighed. "I've made arrangements to take care of them, given their current situation. Akane will train under me. Perhaps I can rebuild her family's legacy that she is to continue. I've asked several warriors and a lore master friend of mine to come. She will bring a few of our histories and a few of our treasures here, not just for the Tendos, but... " Cologne's face hardened, and a steely glint entered her eyes as she

continued. "for Kodachi, I have taken her to live here. Her... father has left again. Her family's wealth is immaterial, to my decision. I think she will be a fine addition to the tribe." Cologne watched as Eilsa shook her head in both disgust and amusement. "And as for Ryouga, he seems to be thinking deeply on many things, and hasn't been seen recently. Now. What can you truly tell me of Ranma's future?"

Eilsa shrugged slightly. "Besides having to tell a overly traditional group that she's my new student. Eh. The usual. Learning how to use a lightsaber, how to build one. Use of her force abilities, of course. More important in my eyes, a good basic education, and training in the social aspects of life. Ones sorely neglected." Cologne nodded in response, and Eilsa wagged a finger. "Ethics, morals, when to use and when not to use, the Code, the traditions are also included, of course. Even given that Ranma seems to be a prodigy, she will have many years learning." Cologne grinned, as if she knew something the Jedi didn't. Eilsa's eyes narrowed. "What... aren't you telling me."

Cologne just waved off the comment with a series of low chuckles.

"Right." Eilsa's voice was low. "I assume you will also deal with... the problems here the children have?"

Cologne nodded. "I especially look forward to dealing with Ukyo's father, though she needs the least help from me." Eilsa shuddered slightly at the grin on the wizened woman's face. Cologne nodded suddenly and sighed. "However, these papers will not wait for the two of us to finish enjoying each other's company."

"Till anon, then, Elder." Eilsa rose with these words, bowing in respect.

oooooo

Ashes. Ashes and smoke.

Some scents lingered in the mind, and could only be for one purpose; the smell of burning flesh returning to dust was one of them. Soft mantras wound their ways through Elisa's mind, forming the mask that made her visage; it was the one comfort from sighs and might-have-beens.

In one afternoon, both the impossible and the inevitable had come to pass. What could be said; what words could bring understanding to the moment? The infamous pervert of Nerima, Happosai, had been destroyed - but not before killing both his prized students and two of the larger-than-life youths who had called the ward home. What could be said of Mu Tsu's death, or Kuno Tatewaki's, other than their heroic demise?

Ashes and smoke. What might have been. All that could be said could be tasted on the wind, as their bodies smoldered on the pyre.

The affair, to be honest, had been a simple one. Four torches lit from a sacred fire, each from the living head of the clan or nearest equivalent. Kasumi had lit Soun's pyre first; the genuine sadness in her whispered prayers let Elisa know that this disciple of Sith, at least, had some good in him. Nodoka's prayers, by comparison, were a touch more flippant; Elisa couldn't make out all of it, but Nodoka apparently suspected her husband was not going to find the afterlife pleasant. Kodachi had said nothing while setting her brother's torch ablaze, and Cologne had kept her whispered prayers beyond the ears of anyone mortal.

From there, the congregation began to move forward. The community was as varied as would be expected, and had more than its share of color. Teenaged girls enamored of the cute waiter at the Nekohanten came to urge his soul onward; practitioners of the local school of swordsmanship offered wooden swords and their elegies to their fallen comrade. Some had come if for no other reason than politeness and curiosity; a hero's death was no surprise for any of these souls, but so soon in life was. One by one, they paid their respects, occasionally stopping by the families of the slain to offer their condolences before leaving.

In the end... ashes and smoke were all that remained. After the stream of casual mourners, the only people left were those that mattered - a family that should not be, but were. Kasumi held her younger sisters as they sobbed uncontrollably; the hand on her shoulder from the young doctor was probably the one thing giving her the strength to go on. Shampoo visibly shook, as though willing herself not to break down; despite this, tears flowed freely down her face. Kodachi and Cologne, ironically, had the same look - a thousand-year stare that offered their willingness to tears, had they any left to give. Others, such as Ryouga and Ukyou, held the general sadness that comes with a friend and comrade-in-arms leaving and acted accordingly, a quiet stoicism mixed with tears.

Only two reactions left her puzzled. Both were sad, true... but the mother held some relief, and the child fear. She would need to talk with both of them in the next couple of days; she had her suspicions as to why, but fear from a Padawan generally wasn't a good thing. However, that would come in time.

Whatever this family had been before the storm, they would be something very different afterwards. Already, she could sense the petty disagreements from earlier discussions fading, as they understood just how important to each other they were. Death was solidifying them, making them one - making them stronger through fire. Much would need to be worked out... but they would stay together.

Sensing where her place needed to be, she walked to Cologne's side. The Elder was tired, far more tired than she let on, and this loss was not without its toll.

Cologne let out a long sigh. "It's never easy, even as old as I am. Especially when at least two of them had so much ahead of them... I can comfort myself with the thought they at least died as they would wish. Proving themselves as what they believed they were." Cologne received a nod from the younger woman, as both watched Ranma and Nodoka together.

"I take it that none of the children had seen death before?" Eilsa was rewarded by a nod.

"Not like that, not in battle. Shan Pu's mother died, but she was young and didn't really know her mother. The Tendo sisters lost their mother, as well, and the two oldest remember that clearly. I've taken some steps with the help of a friend to assure their survival and that they keep their house, which their mother did make sure would stay in their family." Cologne sighed. "I do wonder if this will shake their personalities any."

"Scattering the ashes of the past is never pleasant." Eilsa sighed. "Realizing that the dreams of the future are with them, is even less of a pleasant thought. People change when their world burns." Eilsa was rewarded with a nod from Cologne.

"I have seen it before, and before I join the ancestors, I'll see it again. It is never good to collect the ashes of your loved ones, Jedi." Cologne's eyes were far away.

Eilsa nods, accepting the need for quiet while both remembered their own ashes.

oooooo

Nodoka finished sorting though the papers she had to deal with in the aftermath of her husband's death. Luckily, there was little trouble as all the assets were in her name, and she was able to shuffle all the debts onto Genma's name personally, not the family. Perhaps some fiancees still lurked, but that would be the only remainder of Genma's legacy of greed. She stopped and looked at a box she had uncovered and nodded.

Ranma watched as his mother fussed with a box. "What'cha doing, Mom?"

Nodoka sighed. "What are you, Ranma-chan. Not What'cha." She was rewarded by a soft mumble from Ranma, and she hid her smile. It was nice to have her child back, even though he would be gone shortly. "I'm finding a family heirloom of our line. You do know Genma married into our family, no?"

Ranma blinked. "Really?"

Nodoka kept the snarl from her voice or face, as she got more proof of Genma's willful neglect of Ranma's education. If it wasn't for her needing a husband, when her father had died, she wouldn't have latched onto the first man able to meet her requirements. "Yes. At any rate, one of the family heirlooms is a tube, belonging to our ancestor. It looks like the weapon your new teacher carries, though we've never been able to use it."

Ranma just stared at his mother. "We have a lightsaber?"

Nodoka nodded. "If that's what it's called, yes. Until now, we thought it was just an heirloom, and didn't understand what it was for." Nodoka finally unlocked the box and removed one tube and several small pouches with it, not opening the second layer of the box.

"This is your ancestor's last gift to his heirs. I feel that it's been waiting for this moment." Nodoka had a soft smile. "Somehow, I knew you would receive these to be used, not just to keep in trust."

Ranma accepted both, slightly bewildered. "Um..."

Nodoka laughed slightly at the puzzled look on her son's face. "Don't worry, I'm sure it was just a mother's hope. Come." She rose, collecting her child. "I'm sure there's a meal around here somewhere for growing children!"

Ranma grinned. "Great!" He hurried down the stairs.

Nodoka sighed, and was happy, at least for now.

oooooo

Ranma looked up at the stars that were his friends for so long. This would be his last night with his stars. What would the stars on Coruscant be? What would it be like to travel between those stars?

Ranma shook his head as he heard a soft thump next to him.

"Enjoying your last night here, Ranma?" the aged voice of Cologne washed over the child. "Ice cream, cake, tearful goodbyes because the others all have things to do tomorrow, just by coincidence, I'm sure."

Ranma snorted in reply to Cologne's gentle snort. Long goodbyes didn't suit him. "Wondering if I made the right call, Cologne." Cologne blinked at the respectful tone her name was said in.

"It is good that you are learning the way of our people's ability, Ranma."

Ranma snorted. "All it brought Pops and Soun was death, Elder." Ranma blinked away the grief at the thought of his father. "Indeed, and others." Cologne sighed. "We lost much over the years, Ranma. It's only right that you, in their memory learn the right way, and bring it to us. That is what a true master does." Cologne grinned, unseen.

"What did Kodachi and Shan Pu give me, Cologne, you were smiling at both of them." Cologne snickered slightly, but couldn't answer quick enough to forestall Ranma's next comment. "Not to mention Nabiki giving me some small gems. Said they'd be useful for money. Master Eilsa agreed, you noted."

Cologne nodded. "While I suspect Kodachi's gift is more of the same, Shan Pu gave you a treasure. Use it well, Ranma. It's not the only one the tribe possesses, but it is a useful and vital treasure for you."

Ranma blinked. "Generous of you." His tone left many things unsaid.

Cologne quickly disabused him of those notions. "Freely given, with no strings attached, Ranma. I KNOW you will return. And when you do, we will be here. Not to force you into a choice. Not this time. You're too young for Shan Pu anyways!" She laughed, and was joined by Ranma who stopped after a while.

Ranma shook his head. "Don't feel right to be leaving Momma for such a long time, old ghoul. She just lost Pops, and well..." Ranma trailed off, as Cologne's staff lightly tapped his head.

"You accepted the offer of training, with trickery, yes, and your mother sees it as a good thing. You'd be returning your ancestor's legacy to us. This is a good thing." Cologne sighed. "It's late, and you still have packing to do tomorrow before you leave. Sleep, Ranma."

Ranma nodded... and stopped before leaping off. "I'll miss you, old ghoul. If anyone taught me anything while I was here, it was you, y'know." Cologne's answering smile gleamed in the night.

oooooo

Kasumi knelt in front of Ranma. "Learn well, Ranma-kun, and bring honor to us all. You have our hopes and prayers." With a hug, and a nod from the child, Kasumi stood up, wiping at her eyes.

Ranma eyed all the people here to see her go. What was noted was the absence of the fiancees, which she was both grateful and upset over. Cologne noted the young redhead's look, and smiled. "This is not goodbye, Ranma. This is till we see you again, which will be soon, if I don't miss my mark." Ranma nodded, before he was engulfed in a fierce hug from his mother.

"Be happy, and forget all the pain Genma did. Remember the good he had." Nodoka's whisper in her ears surprised Ranma. At the funeral, Nodoka had not shown any grief for her dead husband.

"I will, Momma..." Ranma whispered back. "And I promise to call often."

Eilsa sighed. "It's time." Nodoka separated from her child and pushed gently in the direction of the ramp, and stepped back to where Cologne and Kasumi were waiting.

All three ladies kept an eye on the child as she turned and looked back and waved. They returned the gesture, and watched as the ramp closed.

The liftoff did not come with the explosion of power expected of rocket, but a soothing breeze, and as Nodoka watched with the others from a safe distance, a warm, comforting gust of air washed over the group as the ship raced into the setting sun, in preparation for its run to the stars.

Nodoka shielded her eyes as she tracked the starship into the sunset. She remained there until not even a speck of the ship's drive could be seen. As the glow from the engines faded from sight a soft thump approached from behind her. "Come, daughter. There is much to do before the child returns. It is time to get to work."

"Indeed, Elder." Kasumi's eyes were focused on the point where the engines were last seen. "Ranma won't return in peace."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the Property of George Lucas, and Ranma ½ the property of Takashai, and all other right holders, no infringement intended, any original characters are Andrew Norris (derived however).

Responses to reviews, and information located at the URL in my Bio (Fourms)

Thanks to all responders. I do like feedback.

See previous chapter for Disclaimer  
This is the REAL Chapter (Sigh.)  
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oooooo

Eilsa put aside her book and returned her attention to her student. Watching the child balance on a single finger and lift a dozen holobooks into an orbit around her head was an extreme test of her agility and ability to multitask. "Very good Ranma. Now, if you don't mind, float them here, and get right side up. We're about to exit from hyperspace to Coruscant." Eilsa was rewarded with the books zipping to her table and landing with a thump.

With a slight push and flip, Ranma landed right side up. "Man, you'd think those books would weigh more, with as boring as they are!" Eilsa withheld her grin at those words, and stood. 

"Some have agreed with you. But, knowledge is knowledge." Eilsa lead the way to her ship's cockpit, and sat down in the pilot's chair, and Ranma plopped into the chair next to hers. "Remember. Don't touch the controls." Ranma just returned a long suffering look at her teacher. 

With a pulling of a lever, the ship dropped out of hyperspace, bursting into a busy hive of traffic. She didn't spare a glance for Ranma's expression until she was sure they were in a safe traffic pattern, and she risked a glance at her student. The Master couldn't resist a grin as she eyed the gob smacked look. 

"Scroll Finder, Scroll Finder. This is Coruscant Control. Please Identify!" A voice rang out over the overhead speakers, and Eilsa slipped on a headset. 

"Scroll Finder here, Coruscant Control. Code 311-214-192-JC, requesting direct path to Temple port." Eilsa spoke into the boom mike at her mouth. 

"Scroll Finder, Cleared, and welcome back, Jedi." The voice clicked off and she grinned, and began the process of navigating the orbits to approach the Temple. As the ship sliced though the thickening air she decided she had the time to talk. 

"Interesting, isn't Coruscant?" She wanted her Padawan's thoughts. 

"... This is a city? The whole planet?" Ranma was clearly surprised and it showed. 

"Yes. Coruscant has been a planetary city for over ninety five thousand years." She watched as Ranma just blinked for a while. 

"How do they all eat? No farmland, right?" Ranma asked. 

Eilsa nodded. Perfect. "Imports. And it's why Math's important. You have to know how much you need to buy from other planets, how much to load onto each ship, how often... Even if you don't think you'll do it, never know. Jedi often have to arrange for relief for planets that are having economic problems or famine." She was rewarded with a nod from Ranma. 

"Then how do you train? Cities aren't that good for some forms of training, especially survival." Ranma's voice was honestly puzzled. 

"Well, some of it's done on other planets, indeed. Where the cities haven't taken over the surface completely. To be honest, only physical and survival training is better off Coruscant, or some specialized knowledge quests." Eilsa paused, remembering a good time or two. "But, for basic education, basic force usage, even most of the advanced forms of training you'll learn... All of it can be done at the Temple." Eilsa grinned suddenly. "However, don't be surprised if we don't' spend that much time at the Temple. I'm not that fond of the situation there. Hold on, I'm coming into Temple's control." Eilsa watched as Ranma nodded, still stunned by the amount of urbanization present though the cockpit. 

"Temple Control, this is Jardon, returning home. Temple Control, this is Jardon aboard the Scroll Finder, returning home." Eilsa's statement was rewarded with an instant response. 

"Welcome home, Master Jardon. Bay 219 is ready for you. Follow standard procedures and course." 

Eilsa's response was as fast. "Thank you Temple Control, will do." 

As the ship settled in, Eilsa began the shutdown procedures, and then she stopped. She clicked on the comm, and spoke quickly. "Temple Control, please contact Master Windu or Master Yaddie." 

"Reason?" The voice replied curious. 

"Personal, Temple control." Eilsa's response was flat. 

"Understood, contacting now." The line remained quiet for a moment, and then a different voice came on, one that radiated self confidence and authority in a soft silky baritone. 

"Windu here." 

"Jardon here. I have a favor to ask of you... Can you make sure there are no Cathar between the main port and the Council chamber? I've run across a Force Sensitive with a phobia of felines and if it's triggered, it could prove quite... dangerous to the Temple." She finished the last in a slightly sheepish tone. 

"... Oh, this is going to be interesting, I see. I do hope you have a good expiation for this one." The male voice responded with resignation in the tone. "Will do; give me about 20 minutes, Master Jardon." 

"Understood." With that, Eilsa cut the connection and finished the shut down procedures. Luckily for her, Ranma had already made for the ramp to get out. 

She walked though the ship, noting where her equipment was for later pickup, and waited at the ramp. 

"Why are we waiting, Eilsa?" Ranma was bouncing on her toes in her eagerness to get out. 

"Because they are clearing a path for us to the Council's chamber." Eilsa shrugged. "Several of our fellows are of feline type, and might trigger your Neko-ken." 

She had the satisfaction of watching Ranma stop for a moment, and shudder slightly. "Oh." The child finally responded. 

Eilsa nodded. "It will only be a bit more. I'm as eager as you to get out of here. A month is a bit much." Eilsa gave a wry smile. "All the holodramas make space travel to be glamorous or exciting. I've always found it boring." 

Eilsa shrugged. She knew where an air car was, it'd be easy to keep Ranma occupied for the time. "Come on, Ranma. I'll show you a bit of the surrounding area." She hit the controls and the ramp lowered. Ranma dashed out, only stopping at the sights around her. 

"Wow..." Ranma breathed. 

Eilsa hid a smile as she walked over to where an aircar was stored. As she set it up to travel, she called to Ranma. "Ranma? Let me show you a bit of Coruscant on a more... local level." 

Ranma bounded over to Eilsa, and looked at the car. "Where are the wheels?" 

Eilsa shook her head. "No wheels, this car flies." She was rewarded by a stare from Ranma. 

"Oh..." Ranma hopped in, and the Jedi backed the air car out of its slot, and into the traffic of the Capital of the Republic. 

oooooo

Balance of Force

Chapter 2

The Temple

By Nicholas 'NightElf' Leifker and Andrew 'MageOhki' Norris

oooooo

Eilsa walked though the hallways, noting that Master Windu had actually taken the precaution of clearing the main hallways completely. She eyed Ranma as she looked around wide-eyed. 

"Here is the turbolift to the High Council chamber." Ranma nodded in response. 

Both females stepped in. A blonde headed child eyed the two as the door closed, and before the doors shut, he met the redheaded girl's eyes. Both pairs widened in shock and recognition. 

Ranma blinked after the doors closed. She shook off the recognition of power that the boy had evoked. She turned to her master, feeling a bit of anxiety coming from Eilsa. "What's up? It's just another group of masters, right? No big." 

Eilsa blinked at her padawan. Putting aside the fact she thought she had shielded her emotions, she responded. "While, yes, you're right, they are still the leaders of the order. And I'm presenting you as my student. They... might not be as happy with the arrangement as I am." 

Ranma snorted. "According to that book you made me read, Masters have final say in who their padawans are. The council only has a say when a padawan's ready for testing, right?" 

Eilsa winced. "Pretty much, yes..." 

"Then why worry. It's just a bunch of old masters. No big." Ranma went back to wondering why the boy evoked recognition in her. 

Before Eilsa could inform her padawan to take the council seriously, the lift stopped and the doors opened. Down the hall way awaited the council. 

"Let's do this." Eilsa squared her shoulders and escorted Ranma to the center of the speaking circle. "Masters, I present Saotome Ranma, my new Padawan." She waited for the response. 

Not surprising her, Yoda was the first to regain his balance. "Surprise, this not should be." Yoda's sigh was shared by several others. "Trouble, find you, too easily!" The short green skinned  
master waved his hand to his fellow masters who had various reactions to this. "Know you, do we!" 

"Indeed. I assume she's the one with the Feline phobia?" the Human black skinned male named Mace Windu had a disapproving tone in his voice. 

Eilsa narrowed her eyes, and responded. "Yes, she is, but she represents a vergence in the Force." She blinked at the masters who eyed each other, instead of being surprised. It was as if she was hearing on the winds; another one? 

"She has the highest Force rating I have ever heard about, greater than even Exar Kun, Revan or even you, Master Yoda. Over 20 on the Junahi Scale." She was rewarded by blinks and a stronger sense of 'Oh, lords, again?' 

"Too young, she is to be a padawan, and too old to be a youngling." Yoda strived to sidestep the issue. 

Eilsa scratched her head... and sighed. "Masters. She is not... quite as she seems. Her real age is sixteen, and her gender male." 

Yaddie rose slightly from her chair. "Impossible! Human she is, female she is, and if her body is seven, I am no master!" The master that spoke was a younger female of Yoda's race. 

"Look deeper, Master Yaddie, read her language, not her body." Eilsa settled on her feet. 

Several of the Jedi blinked, and finally Windu was the one to break the silence. "I ... see, Master Jardon. Care to explain this? The way the child holds himself is more of a male of 12 to 24, of human, than a girl of 5 or 6." 

"Jusenkyou, Masters. Where Revan, the Exile and their followers followed and destroyed the Sith that they were battling. The titanic battle they waged warped the very earth they fought on. This resulted in various pools as I understand that change the very DNA of the recipient. Ranma fell into Spring of Drowned Young Girl. This results in the person becoming a girl, as if the person was born one." 

Mace just blinked at the revelations. Yaddie interrupted. "Unheard of this is, but possible. And explain it would gender. Age it does not!" 

"Known, Revan's Fate?" Yoda asked gently. Eilsa nodded. 

"If I'm not mistaken, this is his last descendant." 

"Putting that aside for now, Master Jardon, we will return to it. Justify the child's apparent age with your statements." Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Cerean Jedi spoke. "We're quite used to your sense of humor." 

Eilsa simply looked at the Master. "On her planet is a form of fungus that returns the consumer to an age based on its size, both forward in physical time, and backwards. Ranma ate one returning her to this age, and while they found more, all were destroyed before she could restore her proper age. All her brain and physical signs indicate she's a human of 6 years of age." She eyed the council. "She has a ego to go with her skill, is one of the best combatants of any age I have ever heard of, is clearly the most skilled unarmed combatant I have EVER seen, in the archives or not, and is already using the Force to greater or lesser degree, even before I started training her." She sighed. "She is insecure, was tortured at a similar physical age by felines to the point where if she remains in sustained contact with them, she will become one in mind, and feels that book learning is a waste of time. Not to mention that her male side is barely 8 on the scale in the Force." 

"Then why train her?" Mace's voice was intrigued. "Surely there must be positives to balance these massive negatives?" 

"Indeed Master Windu. She is kind. Has no ability to hold a grudge, and forgives any harm and slight to her. Has forgiven and aided enemies who have sworn to kill her, and has NEVER in her life seriously considered using lethal force, which she is quite capable of. She possesses a brilliant mind, absorbing lessons that took me more than a year to do in a month, is possessed of a combat skill that defies belief and as noted, her female side has a force signature of over 20 on the scale. Many problems, but many strengths. Not to mention a lack of fear or anger." She winced as Ranma both blushed and hung her head at Eilsa's comments. 

"Umm... ah..." Ranma stammered slightly. Yoda waved Ranma's comments away before they could be said. 

"Flustered the child is. Test will we, before decision reached. Five minutes, before we will." Yoda clearly gestured for a brief dismissal. 

After the brief delay to acquire materials, the assembled council members put Ranma though a battery of tests and drew a bit of blood. As the last standard test completed, and Ranma flipped to her feet, after fingerstanding, for the challenge she said, the council waved the equipment to one side. 

"Ranma, how do you change back to Male?" Mace said as softly and calmly as possible. 

"With hot water." Ranma's expression was a bit sour. All the images they wanted her to identify she saw, but couldn't name. However the Jedi were happy at the fact she could see them at all, never mind name them. 

Mace looked at his former padawan "Deepa, would you please get some?" She nodded and left. She returned shortly, and in a soft cultured voice, the human female handed the water over with a smile. "Don't worry, we only have a few more tests." Ranma returned the smile with a wry twist of her own lips. 

"Good, getting hungry!" Ranma dumped the water over her head, and just sighed as the water failed to trigger the curse. "Now how in hell did it get locked!" A note of panic had begun to enter her  
voice. 

Deepa narrowed her eyes. "I felt something when you did that... was it possible the water wasn't hot enough? It felt... like it wasn't enough" 

Ranma blinked... "Should have been... but I haven't switched to save water for a month..." She trailed off clearly thinking hard. 

Deepa nodded, and with a slight wave of her hand collected the water that fell on the floor back to the glass, and handed it to a strange looking master with a mask over his face. "Master Koon, could you please?" She was rewarded with a nod, and shortly the water was steaming, and she nodded. "This is hotter than I would suggest, but we can quickly heal the burns." She was a bit nervous, but was rewarded with a pixie grin. 

"Nah, don't worry, I don't burn easy, would have to be boiling to be a problem!" She snatched the glass, and poured it over her head, wincing slightly. All the masters felt a slight shift in the force, and dripping and steaming black hair appeared, as if the water was washing out the red. 

Yaddie drew more blood from Ranma. The test run on it, confirmed Eilsa's statement about the lower force rating. 

Yoda nodded at the datapad, and set it aside. "Approval you want, Master Jardon, though even needed, is not." He sighed. 

Mace took over. "Arrogant. Insecure. Wanted by a Sith lord for an Apprentice. Trained in a technique that still horrifies us all." 

Deepa picked up the thread. "Ill mannered, lazy, and unaware that words cause pain, and thinks book learning is useless..." She shook her head... "Yet..." 

Gallida nodded, adding her own words. "Innocent, irritated at our words, but not angry, Skilled in the art of war, yet distasteful of inflicting physical pain." 

Yoda spoke again. "Approve of this... I must. Want not, must" He sighed. "Key to each Jedi is balance... whole Jedi need balance also." He nodded sharply. "Obi-wan... with young Skywalker, upset the balance he has. Young Skywalker balanced is by young Saotome. Scars, posses she does; willful she is; fear and anger she has not. Balance achieved perhaps." 

Mace took over. "Approved, with... reluctance your padawan is by a 8 to 4 vote, Master Jardon." 

Yaddie picked up the thread. "Troubled, we are by Nekoken" The diminutive Jedi stumbled slightly over the last word, but gamely continued on. "Healers, suggestion we will await. Padawan to them now, take you will." 

"While his current clothing and form is quite cute, I suggest that Ranma remain female at most times, unless we wish to raise... questions, until we have fully analyzed your report, Master Jardon."   
Mace stopped, and smiled. "Into the proper clothing she should be, along with the braid." 

Eilsa nodded. "Of course, was just waiting until this was over. Oh, I need a few parts for a lightsaber." 

Both Mace and Yoda's expressions were studies. Mace broke the silence. "Given your natural inclinations, Jardon, a second lightsaber strikes me as odd... and while it's not a bad idea for your padawan, a training saber works as well." 

Eilsa smiled. "Oh, it's to repair the lightsaber her family kept from Jedi Revan, if I don't miss my guess." 

Master Koon responded for the others... "Have Master Qintx check the lightsaber out, but... I see no reason Revan's blade if it is his, should not be returned to full status. And it is true, waste not, want not." 

Eilsa nodded, and bowed. "With your permissions, masters?" 

"Given, permission is. May the Force be with you, Master Jardon." Yoda spoke for the council in this. 

oooooo 

Eilsa walked into the council chamber, where the masters were gathered again, and watched as they returned from looking out over the Coruscant night skyline. 

"Master Jardon, healers have suggested a course of action in regards to your padawan." Deepa stated. "They wish to have her confront herself in the Test of Self. Now." 

Eilsa blinked. "Excuse me, did you say they wanted her to take the Test of Self? The most critical test for Knighthood?" 

Yoda nodded. "Confrontation, solution is." 

Eilsa just stared at the masters. "Are you all crazy?" 

Mace winced. "It's what the healers believe is the solution, Master Jardon. They believe the Neko ken was an attempt to graft part of the feline's spirit onto the child. It's there, to greater or lesser   
degree, but Padawan Ranma has to accept it." 

Eilsa attempted another tact. "No preparation? Straight into the Test?" 

Deepa nodded. "That's what the mental experts suggest. Ranma has successfully withstood one or two cats before, as long as she wasn't forced to engage them." 

"This is insane. You haven't seen the Neko-ken in action!" Eilsa shook her head. 

"Remember, also, Master Jardon, that Ranma is not a child, despite her body's physical age. Unlike a typical child her psyche has been formed, even thought her return to a child's age has given the psyche a chance to change, her personality is of sufficient maturity to undergo the Test." Mace looked at Eilsa. "And the healers DO understand the risk, that's why they want to do it, as long as there can be a link, even though she has to take the test on her own. Advice we can give her, but it has to be her battle." Mace sighed. "It's the only way they can all agree on, Master Jardon." 

"I... see. I hope the room that it's done is seriously reinforced in. I assume it is to be done immediately?" Eilsa asked quietly. 

"Yes, as soon as she awakens." Eilsa nodded to Deepa's response. 

"Then with your permission, I will leave and prepare." Mace nodded, and Eilsa departed. 

oooooo

Eilsa watched her padawan's expression after she was informed of the healer's decision. 

"Okay. Sounds good. Take it head on and fix it. I get to choose two to help?" Ranma snorted. "You and that Windu. And let's do it." Ranma's breezy smile didn't hide her fear at facing the cat. 

"Are you sure?" Eilsa kneeled in front of Ranma. "This is a test that taxes people older and far better trained than you! We can find a different way." 

Ranma shrugged. "If they think it'd work, better do what the docs say." 

Eilsa sighed, and nodded. She nodded at Master Windu, and he gestured at the door leading downward... to the cave that the Jedi kept here for this purpose. A knot of the darkside, kept to bring it out in padawans testing for their knighthoods. Finally, perhaps to heal. 

Yoda sighed as he watched all three go in. "Easy, it is not, Hide fear, she shouldn't. Matter not, find her fear will." 

oooooo 

Ranma sat cross-legged in the healer's room, examining her mind as though it was something new. It wasn't something she could explain, every part of her that had been there was still there, but finally at peace. Part of her purred, part of her giggled, and it was good. She finally had forgiven herself. Everything was a source of weakness, according to her father, to both of her parents every bit of weakness was an unforgiveable crime. 

She wasn't strong enough to get though the Nekoken unscathed. Every injury further proof of her weakness; she would hide tears and bite screams, all to hide her sins. Jusenkyou was simply another mortal sin; becoming a girl was the ultimate sign of weakness and indication she had been dammed. 

Looking at it now... a six year old wasn't strong enough to handle inhuman torture; she could feel the claws rake over her skin and look at it as the tragedy it was, both for her and the cats starved for   
food, rather than focusing on the pain. She had survived it. Thrived even, and that was what mattered. Not the fact she hadn't mastered a technique not to be taught. Her gender had been skewed and skewered long before she'd been taken to Jusenkyou - and no one could have foreseen what had happened there. 

She was Ranma. She was a cat even now, wanting to play more with Master Windu, or maybe find a nice perch with a sunbeam to snooze in. She was a girl; she'd seen the uniforms that the students wore, and found them plain. She was a boy; the strength and honor she lived by was very much a product of her male life, and what attraction present was for girls, not boys. 

If that changed, oh well. She was a boy, she was a girl, she was a cat... and yet, she was more than just one. 

The Test of Self had been threefold. The cat was part of her and after a great deal of trauma, and acceptance that she could be the cat and control herself as the cat, she had learned to hug her inner  
kitten. It amazed her honestly, just how sophisticated the feline within was; the instincts and analysis of sensory input within the cat stunned her, as she smelled the relief and concern washing from the medical staff. 

The experience hurt, hurt almost as much as the original experience; only difference was phantom claws didn't leave marks. She had taken the blows, and in the end, had to agree the experience was well worth it. 

The last two tests had come together, in part because they represented two roads to take. Both tempted her, both showed parts of herself that were undeniably part of herself, and whispered that only with their help could she know happiness. One was a beautiful woman, wearing a golden kimono that flowed around her in a wind; she wore makeup and had her scarlet hair in a flattering style, and showed her pride in her appearance and secret desires that never saw the light of day or the sound of voice. 

The other was taller than her male form, stronger as well, and radiated confidence and power; he wore a karate gi that fit well around his muscular frame, spoke of honor, of duty and what a man   
needed to do with his life. 

The woman's hair was a fiery red while the man's was black. Both held crystalline blue eyes with a hint of power, mystery and pride. 

Both tempted her, both scared her. She had never voiced it, but there was a part of her that wanted to be kind, nurture and to take care of others. That side also spoke of looking good, being attractive to others. Without her she would never know love, never know friendship, always being alone, left to be barren and incomplete. 

The man, by comparison chose blackmail as his weapon to attack with. He spoke of the codes that were part of her very soul. Strength so others would not have to suffer like he did, protection instead of being protected. An added comment whispered was to be a woman meant being a man's companion - something that disgusted Ranma. 

In the end, the training she received on the trip to Coruscant showed her the truth in the sayings she half remembered. 

"A Jedi does not think in absolutes; they always work in the great, the righteous white and the sinister black do not allow for growth and wisdom, both blinding." 

Both his male self and female self's were traits taken to the extremes, and made absolute - completely feminine path, one formed of every joy, every hope, and every fear experienced while female, promising people that would worship her. The masculine path, one formed of every source of pride and honor she had, as well as what disgusted him while being a man, from Genma and others; promised power to use as she willed, to never be weak again. 

She stepped back, both options had... problems with them. She had used her female form to overcome weakness inflicted on her as a man on several occasions. She had used her masculine side to attract people to her. She knew she could not reject the strength and honor that came with her upbringing as a male, as warped as it was; at the same time, a part of her needed to be nurturing and care for others, not to mention look his or her best when she could or the situation demanded   
it. 

In the end, she followed the truth of the Middle Path. Holding out a hand to each of them, she told them both. "You know me. You know my stand. You both hold a truth, but only half of my truth. I can't be without either part of my soul. You are me, reflected in this mirror." She nodded, acting on a feeling "It is time for me to heal, and I can only do that with your help in coming together, without the lies that everyone told me in my life. That's why we are here." 

Both sides looked at the outstretched hands offered; they each muttered some half-hearted words about Ranma's mistake in not choosing one over the other, but both took the hand presented to them. And in that moment, as she felt the manicured nails of the woman, and the calloused and hardened palm of the male, she knew she made the right choice for herself. She was whole, in balance, both yin and yang. To remain in balance, and whole, she'd have to walk the path of her female side for now, to undo years of her father's instruction. It wasn't a sin or a disgrace, but the truth of life. The only disgrace was denial of part of herself. And she had the rest of her life, and a second chance even, to discover who Ranma Saotome was. 

A second later, her eyes flew open and she was bathed in soft white light. She saw the damage she had done during the acceptance of the Neko, and felt kinda sorry that she had clawed Master Windu. She giggled, knowing that she'd get more chances to show him how kittens played. However, she felt whole. A weight was gone from her shoulders, and she could fly free for the first time in her life. She knew the path she would have to take, and why she would walk it. And   
boy, did it feel good. 

"Healed, you are. Passed, you have. Truth, you know." Yoda's gravely voice interrupted her study of the surrounding area. Before she could speak, he continued. "Lightside, chosen you have. Wisdom, you can gain now. Padawan, remain, for now." Yoda eyed her and as he turned   
to leave. "Knight, soon enough, you will be." 

oooooo 

Eilsa obeyed the summons to the Council chambers. As she walked in, she restrained a grin at the healing scratches on Master Windu. "Masters, you requested my presence?" 

"Requested, we did." Yoda grumped. "Padawan, unusual is." 

"What Master Yoda is concerned about, is the fact that Ranma's training will have to be different than the other padawans, because while we don't doubt your basic instruction of Ranma, we do wish she will have a basic grounding in the Living force." Deepa eyed Windu. "Her force claws were... quite interesting." Mace couldn't help wincing as Deepa and several others shared soft laughter. 

"Yes, find it amusing. However, she's been trained in techniques we don't know about, and don't understand. Yoda is the best possible trainer for the basics, and to compare them to what we know about it. You, of course will handle basic lightsaber training, and all other aspects of training." Windu eyed several others. "We won't put Terra's location into the archives, mostly because we feel that the Terrans don't need the Republic attempting to rip apart their lives to find out why humans are so far away from the Republic. She'll be listed as an unknown birth world, found on Bespin." 

Eilsa nodded at their logic. "Master Windu... I have a request of you, regarding Ranma's lightsaber training." 

His raised eyebrow invited her to continue. "I request that you handle it. My observations of Ranma is that she's already beyond me or will be shortly in combat, and even in lightsaber combat." 

"Wisdom, show you. Windu, training handle." Yoda's wave of the hand was met with Master Windu's nod. 

"Now that's been dealt with. We've read your report on the encounter with the Sith." Mace's hands steeped. "As you know, and hopefully spent a few moments mediating over, Master Jinn and Knight Kenobi fought a Sith, in which Master Jinn lost his life." Mace let a moment of silence gather in the room, as Eilsa's closed eyes indicated she needed a moment to recover the serenity a Master was to have. "I know that he was your Master, Eilsa, but he died well, and is one with the Force now." Mace's voice was softer. 

Eilsa closed her eyes, and knew she would spend tomorrow morning mediating on Qui-Gon. However, tomorrow could take care of tomorrow. "I have nothing to add in my report on the Sith incident, or anything dealing with Revan and the Exile, Masters. I even put down my half thought out speculations about both into my report." 

Yaddie nodded. "Complete, you were. Fact, lacking was. You, we blame not." 

"Giving your secure holonet transceiver to them, while costly to the Order, actually will pay for itself because we can contact them and gain more information from this Cologne." Mace sighed. "We will of course, keep her out of it." Eilsa nodded in response, and Master Gallia picked up the thread. 

"We won't keep you up, running herd on your new padawan will tax you enough, but we must know. Do you think she's the chosen one of the prophecy? Qui Gon believed that about Anakin Skywalker." 

Eilsa blinked, and thought about it. "She... might be. But, I won't tell her, and I don't want the rest of you telling her some prophecy and she might fill it to her. I rather just have her be a normal   
padawan." 

Mace smiled, joined by snickers from several other Masters. "Normal. Ah... well, as normal as she can be, I suspect you meant. It is late, and we should all seek our beds, for tomorrow comes, and there are things to take care of tomorrow." 

Eilsa nodded, bowed, and departed, seeking her suite with her padawan hopefully sleeping in it. Tomorrow, would be a long enough day as it is. 

oooooo 

Chancellor Palpatine stared at the screen, his brow furrowed in thought. Due to his second job, he had an intimate understanding of the capabilities of the Jedi. Yoda's 18 rating was the highest in   
several millennia; most of the Masters had ratings of at least 12. But 20... was considered impossibility. And, yet, in the span of less than two months, two children show up from parts unknown with 20 ratings. 

He wasn't a true seer; indeed a true, infallible seer could not exist. But the Trade federation gambit had given him a good feeling, and so he'd gone for it. When he found out about Anakin, he had a suspicion as to why. The boy had weaknesses, passions he could learn to exploit, indeed with a bit of prodding, Anakin Skywalker could grow up to be one of the finest Sith in history. This girl, on the other hand... this "Ranma"... had literally come out from nowhere - and her existence gave him an uneasy feeling. It wasn't a bad one per se; sometimes it was good, sometimes bad, but it fluctuated in ways he couldn't even begin to understand. To make matters worse, unlike with Skywalker, Saotome's file showed no flaws - or rather her flaws had been faced and overcome. He could read between the lines; though the  
file didn't mention it specifically, she had clearly taken the Test of Self - at the age of SIX - and had passed with flying colors. He would have thought the file a joke, if it was not for confirmation from multiple sources. This Ranma was for real - right down to the scars left on Windu's arm - and even more scary than her file suggested. 

He could also see other signs that not everything was correct. What sort of Jedi appears out of nowhere on some backwater gas mine more famous for its tourist industry, than anything else? They were covering something about her up. Likely she was the result of some Jedi breeding experiment; he wished he could find some other explanation, but there was none. She was impossibility out of nowhere, she had to have been made, either like Skywalker or some other process, but couldn't have been born. 

No doubt, he would need to send another mission to Kamino - perhaps even a personal mission, if he suspected treachery. He could not afford to go up against a army of super-Jedi; enough of them and his plans would go up in smoke. Even with one there, he could feel his plans for Anakin threatened. This had to be nipped in the bud, wherever this mystery girl came from, before the situation became untenable. 

In the meantime, some more immediate espionage was called for. With Anakin, it was easy to find an excuse to visit him and discover this hidden gem; he'd rubbed elbows with the Nabooan queen before he had become known to the Jedi, and the funeral of a Master was sufficient tragedy to get close to the child. Ranma, however was a far different story. Her origins were humble, along with her friends listed; indeed every indication was that they would keep her in the Temple with her Master, or Master Windu, who had been listed as her weaponsmaster, a unusual arrangement. The Jedi were keeping this wildcard close to their chest; until he could find an excuse to visit, he would have to rely on secondary sources for his information - useful, usually, but never like the real thing. 

Sighing, Palpatine pushed himself away from his desk, and rubbed his eyes. A month ago, everything had seemed so clear; with one child, the Jedi had forced the future into the fog once more. He would need to be even more careful; one slight misstep, and everything he and his   
predecessors had worked for would be lost, along with the Sith. 

oooooo 

Ranma wandered the halls. Eilsa told her where the mess hall was, and that she had to say goodbye to an old friend. Ranma understood that, and paused for a moment to remember the Neriman that had died, along with her father and Tendo. She looked around, and scratched the back of her neck. She now knew exactly what P-chan had to feel like. She brightened and went over to a older boy, who was looking at a holobook. 

Tugging on his sleeve, she asked. "Can you show me where the mess hall is?" 

The boy looked up from his book. "Why aren't you with your class?" He sounded irritated, and superior. "Go find them, and let Master Clieg lead you." 

"Not with a class." Ranma snorted. "And what's a class?" 

The boy blinked, and snorted. "Class of younglings, which you are. Group of children that are to learn things before going to be chosen as padawans, or sent to the corps." His tone made it quite clear he doubted she'd be a padawan. 

"Oh. I'm a padawan. Not a youngling." Ranma shrugged. "Got here two days ago. So, where's the mess hall?" 

The boy just looked at her. "If you're a recent acceptance to the Order, you have to learn not to lie, you're a youngling! There's no padawan at your age! Now go and find your class that you were  
assigned to before I report you for lying." 

Ranma's eyes narrowed. "I'm not lying. I'm Master Jardon's padawan!" 

"Um... Sangros?" A voice came from behind the boy; Ranma blinked in remembrance. It was the same person she'd seen when she'd first arrived - an older boy with tousled blond hair, one whose body practically sang with the Force. "I wouldn't be so hasty to judge. I could be wrong... but I think she's telling the truth." 

The first boy almost growled as he turned around. "What would you know about it, Skywalker? You're barely a padawan yourself!" 

Ranma knew this Skywalker kid was the real deal from the moment he smiled. She knew a smile like that, it was the sort of grin that said that this kid didn't lose - ever. "Remember your lessons on how your senses can deceive you? Close your eyes, Sangros - and tell me what you feel from her." 

Sangros let out an exasperated sigh, but he did as Skywalker asked, and closed his eyes. Seconds later, they popped back open again in surprise. "How... who... this is impossible. I don't understand any of this - and I don't want to. You take her, Skywalker, if you know so much." 

Skywalker shrugged, and watched as the boy stalked off. "Pompous ass." The boy muttered quietly, and then in a more normal tone, "Anakin Skywalker. And you? Oh, this way to the mess hall." He lead off, and Ranma hurried to catch up. 

"Ranma Saotome." Anakin nodded. 

"Sorry about that, but Sangros got picked to be a padawan at 11, and feels that he's better than most, plus thinks that no one our age could be padawans." Anakin shrugged. 

"Why?" Ranma's puzzled tone made it clear she didn't understand. 

"Dunno. Though, I'll give him, until you showed up, I was the youngest padawan here." Anakin raised his hands to say 'what can you do?' 

"Are they all like that? Had enough of bakas at home." Ranma muttered.

"Nah. Most of the kids your age are fine, and most of the older padawans are also fine. It's just the clutch of the recently chosen padawans that tend to look down on me." Anakin grumbled slightly.   
"I'd show them what's what, but Master Kenobi doesn't like that." 

Ranma snickered. "Oh, that won't be a problem for me." 

Anakin eyed her, and noted her prowling gait, almost feline in its sheer grace and deadliness. "Somehow, I think you could show them a few things." 

Ranma nodded, grinning. "I'm the best of my generation in martial arts!" 

Anakin's eyes rose slightly. "Really." No disbelief, just a sense of 'You're sure about that?' permeated his word. 

Ranma shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Eh, there MIGHT be someone better... but I'd just learn and beat him later." The sheer confidence in her tone told Anakin, this was a girl that knew how to   
take care of herself, and met troubles the way he did, head on. 

Anakin shook his head, as he led her into the mess hall. "Well, I need to eat too, since Master Kenobi is meeting with someone, I'll show you how to get the food." 

Ranma's expression brightened, and she followed him as he pointed everything out. Several things surprised him, like the amount of food she acquired, not to mention that her drink was hot tea. Other things didn't, such as she seemed to be remembering how to eat 'correctly' and not as a barbarian. One of the less kinder comments aimed his way when he arrived. 

Anakin watched the little girl devour enough food to feed two grown Jedi, and shook his head. Why did the feeling that chaos had come calling permeate his very bones? 

oooooo

Eilsa watched as her padawan put away the robes that the quartermaster had given the child. She was even more amused by the slightly unamused expression on the child's face. "What's wrong?"

Ranma shrugged. "Robes are kinda plain, aren't they?" 

Eilsa shrugged. "You can always pick out later, and in theory, you're supposed to wear similar style and colors as I do. Harmony"

Ranma blinked. "Huh?"

"Harmony with each other." Eilsa grinned. "It's also a way of identifying a pair of Jedi together. Not always quite the way it goes, several padawans don't match their masters, but the tradition is  
you're supposed to match."

Ranma shrugged. "Colors or style?" Eilsa shrugged.

"Both in theory, though most masters only care about one or the other. After a while, we'll get you robes that fit your style and personality... and I think you'd look good in green, myself."

"Why only three?" Ranma asked curious, mildly curious.

"Jedi are not supposed to have material attachments." Eilsa shrugged. "Also, the order's cheap. We get funding from the Republic, but it's not a lot, and we have much else to spend the money on."

"Oh. And it makes little sense to give many robes to a kid?"

Eilsa nodded pleased that her padawan had made the leap. "And given that we're supposed to allow the Force to provide for our needs, this helps. Hades, I acquired my ship from a person I saved. I tried to turn it down, but the person insisted." She grinned. "Helped the Order a tad, really... I usually need a bigger ship than a fighter, so I can do long term explorations and excavations of areas. I like digging around and finding out history. I'm an archaeologist, remember?"

Ranma nodded, and put away the last of the robes, and yawned. "Yeah."

Eilsa shook her head. "Time to go to sleep." She shooed Ranma into bed, and waited til the child's breathing indicated she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This chapter has been edited. Enjoy

"This should be amusing." Mace muttered to himself. He had gotten roped into this by Yoda, after he had complained about the number of Jedi who weren't bothering to keep their saber skills up. Yoda suggested that he hold a round robin practice session with the Knights and Masters he felt that were being the most lax in their skills. "'Interesting, make it. Skilled padawans, add you should.' Bah. This isn't going to show those masters that they need to improve, Deepa. And to add Skywalker and Saotome... reminds me, I really need to get around to testing her." He mentioned to his former padawan, who was walking next to him.

"Master Windu, why so upset? I'm sure the Jedi padawans you picked, aside from Skywalker at least, will be able to show up the others... and as for Saotome, I watched her practice her unarmed combat. If she does even a fourth as well with a saber, she'd prove hard going for most of the Knights." Deepa smiled a bit. "If she's as good with a lightsaber as unarmed, you're looking at being replaced, old man." She grinned.

Mace snorted. "Not likely, I am Vaapid's creator. Let's go see these suckers."

Master Windu strolled into the practice chamber, eyeing the Jedi assembled. "As you all know, you were called here to gain a bit of practice, for the padawans who stay in the Temple, and field Jedi. So... break off and spar, Remember the rules! Deepa, Kit? Please assume positions to watch." The Jedi broke up quickly, according to the lists posted on the wall.

Mace did his first lap, and noticed that Ranma was bouncing on her toes, impatient. Didn't she have a match first? Deepa? Did Saotome lose already? He sent telepathically.

No, she shredded the Knight. Totally, and using a move that I've never seen before. I'm thinking we need to call down some of the other masters, I asked and she's trained to use weapons, as well Deepa's smug tone was as much as 'I told you so!' as she'd ever mention.

Ah... I see Mace was nonplussed, while he accepted that he'd be Ranma's weapons mentor, because Eilsa really should be here getting schooled in the fact she frankly sucked in lightsaber duels, but she was needed in the Archives, and to be honest, she had picked up her training routines.

"You're next?" He overheard the redhead chirp at the next person on her list. "Good, last longer. I need to get used to this weapon." He watched as the Knight blinked, but took up a standard Form VI position.

Both Mace and Deepa stopped pretending to watch the other duels, as they watched Ranma draw out the Knight's skills, so she could read them... and then suddenly she went on the offensive, with a blur of strikes, ending with her lightsaber hovering off the Knight's neck. "How in hell did she DO that?"

Mace at that point just blinked, joined by several other watchers. He'd have to watch the holograms of her two battles. He was interrupted by one of the younger knights asking him.

"Umm... Master Windu?" The Knight's hesitant tone spoke volumes.

"Yes, Knight Kim?"

"What are you teaching this padawan?"

Mace Windu tilted his head to the side. "Right now, I haven't started... but the basics of our forms, I think will be initial, though Master Jardon supposedly handled Form I instruction."

"Oh. That wasn't Form I." Mace grinned at the Knight's tone.

"I know. I'm going to have fun, with her." The Knight just stared at Master Windu.

Mace watched as a Master took his place across from Ranma. This was one of the ringers inserted into the group, to make sure the Padawans didn't get swelled heads. Kim and Deepa joined him, and watched. Both of the fighters simply waited for the other, until finally the Master broke, and used a textbook Form V overhead power blow. Mace's eyes widened, as a modified Form III defense caused the strike to slide past, and overextended the master. The Defense position was used by Form VI as well, but not to its fullest extent. The Master spun, getting out of the way of a speedy slash aimed for his chest, but he looked impressed at the youngling.

"Excellent. Have you seen Form III before?" The Master inquired.

"Nope, the girl before you tried that, and I felt it would be better the way I did it." Ranma shrugged.

The Master blinked, then smiled. "Indeed." Both fighters started sparring again, this time taking the duel up a notch, and Mace waited till one made a mistake. The Master did so, and was surprised to receive a yank to the back of his knee, and before he could kip back up a lightsaber at his gut.

Mace was joined by the two with him in sheer shock. Antilles was a Form V master, and one of the best the Jedi had. And a brand new padawan had beaten him. Antilles had waited till Ranma had backed off, and then got up, and bowed to her.

"Thank you for the lesson, we'll have to do it again sometime. Most ingenious use of your foot there. And where DID you learn to use a blade like that? Never mind, you have a new person waiting for you."

Ranma grinned. "Was fun! We'll have to do it again. I want the rest of your moves." The Master laughed at that, and stood back.

Mace raised his hand. "Halt. It's time for lunch, go wash up, and we'll have some padawan vs. padawan matches after lunch, since most of the Knights and Masters are needed elsewhere." He stopped, grinned. "Oh, Skywalker? You're going to go up against Saotome last."

Mace watched as everyone filed out, and noted which of the younger padawans who looked especially afraid. Anakin wasn't bad at all, and Ranma was a true jewel... and both had been harassed in a oh, so Jedi way by some. While he wouldn't condone retribution, perhaps a lesson in why these two were padawans.

oooooo

Mace watched as most of the Padawans filed back in. He had reset the list, letting the two youngest padawans spar against the ones who had been the most... unwise about their status. He had also called in Eilsa and Obi wan, who were both speaking to their Padawans regarding vengeance and the Jedi.

"Well, let's be about it, Padawans" Deepa's voice spoke softly, as the Padawans got into position.

She and Mace intently watched as Sangrous got in front of Ranma, with a look of determination on his face. Both knew that Sangrous had not only been cutting to Ranma at first, but to Anakin as well, and didn't stop after warnings. Both expected a brutal lesson to be handed out, and by the look on the boy's face, below the determination he held to the world, he expected it too.

Ranma bowed, and put her lightsaber in a unusual position: Lightsaber held canted, in line with upraised and titled bent leg, one hand horizontal with the hilt it and two fingers stretching upwards over the hilt towards her grip hand, one neither master had seen before, nor had Sangrous. He responded to the bow, then entered his own Form III stance. Then the hurricane was upon him. Mace and Deepa watched the battle, and Ranma was clearly dominating the lad in the fight, just as Anakin was using his deeper connection to the Force to humble his tormentor. What Mace noted was Ranma wasn't doing it out of payback, but as a statement. She was this good, and she earned her place. Finally with a sharp unusual twist, she disarmed Sangrous, and held her lightsaber at his eyes.

Sangrous backed away, bowed, and left stiffly after reclaiming his lightsaber. Anakin had chosen to simply batter down his opponent, and actually had helped the girl back up.

Mace rubbed his hands at the thought of being able to review all these fights of Ranma's tonight. Ranma after Sangrous had simply chosen to put away her opponents as fast as possible, using blinding speed and sheer unusualness of her moves to victory, while Anakin preferred power and using his smaller size to unbalance his opponent.

As Anakin finished his last spar, he walked over to Obi-wan and Mace overhead a conversation between them as they watched Ranma's last two spars which she took time with, to help the other padawan learn something.

"Master, I need a way to beat her. She's too skilled to win by any means I can think of." Anakin fretted.

"Think, Anakin. What do you remember, or have learned about her. Use that mind of yours, and the knowledge you have." Obi wan had responded, his eyes tracking Ranma's moves. "You might not win, even then, but you'll do far better than if you don't think."

Anakin's eyes narrowed, and suddenly he nodded sharply. "Got you, Master." Obi Wan nodded in response, and Mace's eyes narrowed, the boy's force signature had focused and became iron in determination, but no fear of defeat.

As the last padawan left the mat, Anakin stepped up, with a small smile on his face. "Ready, Ranma?"

Ranma's eyebrows rose at his tone, and she smirked. "Let's play!"

Both padawans went to their starting marks on the mat, and bowed. Both assumed a stance, and waited. Anakin wanted to hop from foot to foot, but would need to time his act perfectly to win. He kept his eyes level and straight into hers, waiting for the Force to tell him when to act. Finally, with a grin, Ranma sprung forward at speed, but before she reached attack range, and brought her saber down, Anakin sprinted forward in a straight thrust, calling out "Miaou!"

Ranma hesitated so slightly, only those watching for it could see it, but for the tightly focused Anakin, it was exactly what he needed. Before Ranma could fully recover, Anakin's saber was in front of her eyes, and the entire hall was deadly silent.

The silence was broken by a soft, amused chuckle. "Okay, Anakin. I'm impressed. I wasn't expecting that; I'll have to train myself not to flinch at that. Good job."

"You're not upset?" Anakin breathed, surprised.

"Oh, a tad. Annoyed at myself. Not afraid of the furballs anymore, but... reflexes are hard to get over. Won't work twice, so enjoy it today." Ranma's soft chuckles showed her confidence in herself, and the fact that Anakin wouldn't be able to do that again.

"Oh." Anakin's tone conveyed the thoughts of the upcoming rematch between them with a bit of distaste. "Well, umm... glad you're not angry."

"Oh, but something you should know, Anakin. I don't lose, not when it matters, and never twice to the same person. Period." Ranma's grin was of a predator's lazy smile, and a slight shiver went up Anakin's spine. "Oh, how did you learn I was afraid of felines?"

Anakin shot a quick look at Master Windu and his own Master. "Umm... when you got here, I overhead about the clearing of the hall... and looked into why." He scuffled his foot a bit as Ranma nodded.

"And remembered?"

"Yup, and looked up what sounds felines make. Remembered that too." Anakin shrugged, trying to ignore the glares from Obi Wan and Master Windu on his back.

"Ah... Book learning." Ranma's tone was slightly disgusted.

"Well, yeah... you could call it that..." Anakin blinked.

Ranma's eyes went to her master, who was grinning slightly. "He made your point for you. When do I start?" Eilsa's grin answered that question. Anakin blinked, and then shrugged again. Girls. Who'd understand them.

"Ranma, tomorrow, this room, after breakfast, I'll begin your instruction in lightsaber combat. Anakin, you'll also be here in the afternoons, I think you have some potential." Windu broke in, eying both of them, nodding. "Now go and clean up before dinner! Your masters don't want to smell you instead of the food!" His comments were belied by a grin as the Padawans left, and he eyed the two older Jedi still in the room. "Handful... oh, lord. I do pity you both, and in a way envy you. They're either going to be the death of the order, or the salvation of it, and I don't know which. Sithspawn! Maybe both at the same time." He shook his head as he commented to the two padawan masters.

Obi-Wan and Eilsa watched as Mace followed their protégés out the door. Obi-wan sighed. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Eilsa shook her head. "I don't know... but it certainly won't be boring." She then turned back to Obi-wan, a wide grin on her face. "Wanna trade?"

Obi-wan stood there in shock. "Trade for what?" A smile slowly spread across his face. "Come on. We've got a certain Master's spirit to cuss out. He's the only one I know of with a sense of humor this warped!" Eilsa took the proffered arm, laughing with the younger Knight.

oooooo

Ranma shook her head, some of the questions of the padawans and a few of the Knights drove her nuts, asking her how she was trained to be that good. Her stock answer got a lot of use. "From birth, by a fanatical idiot!" satisfied most, though a few were still ... impolite about her status. They looked down on her for being a fighter, and not enough of a 'peacemaker' to use their own words.

As Ranma slipped into the training room, Mace Windu eyed her. He had noted the padawans and a few Knights, and even a Master approach her at breakfast, and Antilles had to be warned off from approaching her yet, to question her on her style and technique. Mace snorted softly. Jon was quite surprised that Ranma was Jardon's padawan. "If she ever tires of the child, or dies, call me, assuming you haven't claimed her yourself, Master Windu." Was the enigmatic Jedi's stunning parting comment before he left for the Outer rim again.

"Master Windu?" Ranma called out, before her eyes settled on the black Master. She bowed to him, and waited.

Mace Windu walked around her, studying her. "Instead of a lesson in the use of a Lightsaber, or its construction, I think instead, I will have you explain your moves in the fight, at least the ones I didn't recognize. Afterwards, we will... spar unarmed." He grinned.

Ranma blinked, then shrugged. "Okay."

Mace activated a holoprojector, and began running though the images of her spars that he had marked for consideration. "Where did you learn these moves?"

"While in China, Master. It's called Wu Shu, and while I was using mostly Thirteen Swords, I did use some Reeling Broad Sword. Do you want me to name each move?" Ranma stood attentively.

"As you demonstrate them, yes." Mace triggered a camera. "Slowly, as if you were demonstrating them for a non-warrior audience." He stepped back as Ranma activated a training saber, and began to flow though the first form, calling it.

"Thirteen Sword form! Pi, Beng, Liao, Ci, Tiao, Dian, Yun, Mo, Gua, Jiao, Tui, Yin, Tuo!" Mace watched intently, memorizing each move, each step as Ranma flowed slowly though the form, calling it out. He nodded. This would be an excellent addition to any Jedi routine. She stopped. "Again, Master?"

Mace shook his head. "The other form you used?" He received a nod, and she entered a new stance, and flowed though it, while calling out the moves, then stopping.

He nodded again. "I suspect there's a third form?" Ranma nodded.

"Dual sword variant of that form, Master, if you wish?" Ranma received a nod, and a tossed training lightsaber. "Thank you." She danced with the two blades, demonstrating the twin sword forms of Wu Shu Reeling Broad Sword.

Mace nodded, glad that the recordings were here. "Do you know any other sword techniques, besides the ones you showed me, and the Lightsaber techniques that Master Jardon showed?" He received a nod in response, and a grin as well.

Mace looked at the clock and shook his head. "Well, we don't have time, tomorrow. Now."  
He grinned. "Let's see what you can do unarmed."

Ranma eyed the master. "Anything goes?" She asked curiously.

"Of course! Just no lethal blows." Mace grinned.

She assumed a stance, as he took position across from her. "Begin!" Windu ordered... and she just stood there, grinning. He finally had enough of waiting and charged, and attempted a low kick, to only see her slide to one side and yank on his outstretched leg, pulling him on his backside, with a loud sounding thump.

As he got up... "Might want to watch telegraphing your moves. Speed up, too." Ranma's bored voice answered his rueful glance at her. Reassuming the positions again, he waited, then finally charged, attempting a feint with the same kick, but as he attempted the feint, dropping his foot down, and his fist towards where he thought her head would be, she slithered under his legs, grabbing his ankles, and dumping him on his face.

He got up a bit slower and shook his head. "This time you attack me, please?" Ranma bounced, grinning. Reassuming his position, and she hers, he waited for her attack, and then noticed a 'presence, that startled him, and was distracting him, but not enough to brace for her charge, but as he attempted to strike, she was up, over and he felt two hard feet slam into his back, and next thing he knew was a voice calling him.

"Master Windu?" He knew this voice.

"Ugh... Master Bint?" He really hoped it wasn't the healer. He was disappointed by her reply.

"Care to explain why the new padawan had to call me, after she blew you a good six inches into the wall?" Her expression was most amused, in stero, even.

"I didn't listen to Deepa... Ow, ow..." Before he could say anything more, the healer had shushed him, and pressed an airgun against his neck.

"Concussion, one cracked rib, and very broken pride. Did I mention I watched the holo of the spar?" Bint's voice was quite amused, as she finished taping up his ribs.

"... Dare I hope Deepa hasn't seen it?"

"Nope. I sent a copy to all the council." Her voice was very much smug.

"... Oh. And... where is Ranma?" Mace wanted to get up, but the healer's hands on his chest kept him on the floor.

"Yoda came to collect her, and mentioned something about she needing to learn to moderate her strength. I don't agree... I think she was calculating just right. Don't you agree, Master Windu?"

He eyed her as she finally returned to focus, and the smile on her face indicated that he'd not live this down for a long, long, long time. "Quite."

"Good. Do nothing else for the day, and mediate on your own healing. Next time, perhaps you'll listen to others about fighting." She turned, and walked out, whistling.

Mace watched her go, and shook his head gingerly.

oooooo

"Good afternoon, young Padawan."

"Good afternoon, Master Yoda." Ranma tried to hide the flush of embarrassment from her cheeks. "Is Master Windu going to be all right? I thought he'd be able to take the hit."

"All right, Master Windu will be. Challenge you present to him, more than expected. Time he will need to determine a proper training path." Yoda sat down, and eyed Ranma carefully. "Tell me, padawan. How do you feel when you fight?"

Ranma frowned. "I guess it depends on the kind of fight. If it was just Ryouga coming in to blow some steam, it'd be fun; it'd be play time." She shrugged. "If it was someone like Pantyhose or Herb, though, where the stakes are way too high... it's the last place I wanna be." Urged to continue by Yoda's glance, Ranma bit her lip. "With crap like that, there's a chance somebody ain't walking away from it. It was an ugly feeling; I felt trapped, 'cause I didn't want to be there, but I had to be there. Where I came from... there was a part of me that felt it was a matter of time before somebody got killed." She shook her head. "And then it did. Stupid Pop; stupid Tendo."

"Blame them for dying, do you?" Yoda's ear twitched.

Ranma shook her head. "Nah, not really. Wish Pop had a bit more common sense, though."

Yoda nodded thoughtfully, as he wondered if what he'd heard was correct. He suspected the words were names, but... "Tell me... what happened with these fights? With... Pantyhose, and with Herb? Why did you fight?"

Ranma took a deep breath. "Pantyhose Tarou was named and christened by Happousai. He hated his name - it had some pretty bad connotations back there - but only Happousai could change it. He kidnapped Akane to try to get me to beat up on the old lech so he'd change Pantyhose's name to something more pleasant. Problem was, he'd been dunked in Jusenkyo, too, so when he was splashed, he became this monster. Fighting him was not fun." She shook her head. "Herb, on the other hand, was a set of disagreements that blew up into something much worse. Herb's colleagues had taken Akane and Shampoo, not understanding that this was not proper courtship ritual. A fight started, Herb was revealed to be a girl, and then Herb splashed me with water from this bucket that locked me as a girl. We had a set of fights from there as we both searched for the kettle that would unlock the curse; the final fight was so rough that we ended up bringing a mountain down around us. We both got our curses unlocked, we all survived... but it was a very near thing."

"So important was it, to unlock your curse?"

Ranma chuckled. "At the time... yeah. All of my life at the time was tied into being a guy. And... if I wasn't a guy, I couldn't be with Akane." She shuddered. "Mr. Tendo even said that, if I didn't get it unlocked, that HE'D marry me."

Yoda nodded slowly. "And now?"

Ranma sat back. "I... I don't know. I change every evening once I'm back in quarters, but that's more to keep it from being locked than anything else." She looked down at her hands. "Also... I'm starting to see the difference in the Force between my forms. It's not something I can pinpoint, but it's like everything regarding the force is sharper in this body." She shrugged. "One good thing about being six years old again... I have time to find out the answers to all that. I'm pretty sure I don't like boys, which should help in that whole "no commitments" thing; don't know what'll happen once puberty kicks in, though." She winced. "Oh, man... THAT'S going to be weird. Girl puberty; gah."

Yoda chuckled. "Tell me, Padawan. The Code you have learned?"

Ranma nodded. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity." Her voice paused for a brief moment. "There is no death. There is the Force."

Yoda nodded, pleased. "The modern Code, this is; different the ancient code was. Have you no emotion? Have you no ignorance? Have you no passion?" His green eyes burned into Ranma. "Affirmation and goal the modern code is. Puzzle the old code was; puzzle and test. Also, one line have they excised. Very important line for you this is." He straightened up in his chair. "'Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.' Modern code a destination; ancient code a path." Yoda relaxed. "Tell me, padawan. This code... your life should you reflect on. What think you?"

"Well, I certainly understand that "chaos, yet harmony" bit. Heck, you probably just told Kasumi's life story." Ranma chuckled. "Emotion, yet peace, and passion, yet serenity. I need to show you the Soul of Ice at some point. It was a technique the ol' ghoul taught me. While in it, almost all emotion falls away; the hot ki normally generated in a fight is absorbed, and the cold ki washes out. The ultimate goal of the technique is to use that imbalance of hot and cold ki as a weapon; if done right, a powerful vortex is created as a result." She smiled. "Ignorance, yet knowledge. I know enough to know that I don't know a lot. That's hurt me sometimes. I can't even begin to count the number of times Nabiki took advantage of me because of that ignorance." The smile faded. "Death, yet the Force. Pop. Mr. Tendo. Kuno. Mousse."

Yoda nodded. "The beginning of your journey, this is. On these words - and your life - should you contemplate." His ears perked up. "Question I have. Why, as a girl, can you have no commitment?"

Ranma blushed. "Well, how can I marry a girl if we're both girls?"

Much to her surprise, Yoda began to laugh.

oooooo

Ranma looked up from the book she was reading. A Brief history of the Republic wasn't quite as sleep inducing as some books she had read, but any distraction was welcome. "Hey, Anakin. What's up?"

The older boy, at least physically looked at the redhead. "Oh, waiting around for Master Obi-wan. Bored. You?"

The redhead scowled slightly at her book. "Reading this history book. Boring! Rather be out practicing or napping."

Anakin nodded. "How did you get so good, really, I mean... Mom taught me how to work with tech and the like, but your combat skills are better than some masters!" He plopped into the other half of the lounging bench in the nook.

"Practice." The shrug that Ranma gave was greeted by a simple stare. "Okay, my father was a idiot, and from before I could remember, he had me out on a training trip. Took me away from my mother, and all we did was train, train and train, or prepare for more training. Things like outrunning wolves, or being under waterfalls... or constant sparring." Anakin just blinked.

"Wow. And I thought being a slave sucked. He took you from your mother?" Anakin's voice was a bit amazed and a tad sad.

Ranma nodded. "You said you had been taught by your mother, why isn't she here?"

Anakin shrugged slightly, and winced. "She's still on Tatooine, a slave still. Master Jinn could only get one of us out." Ranma blinked. "Wish I could talk to her..."

"I talk to my mom every month. You should pester your master to talk to yours. I'll ask Eilsa why not." Ranma's voice was musing slightly.

Anakin shrugged. "Jedi with their no attachment rule. Likely why. And likely why they didn't want to train me, or likely you, we're too old to be taken from our parents and taught that from birth nearly."

Ranma's scrunched up face showed her thoughts on that issue. "Geeze. And I thought I had a bad parent."

Anakin blinked. "It's considered a honor to be a Jedi! You get to help people and make a difference! Someday... I'll go back to Tatooine and free the slaves there..." His voice trailed off.

Ranma shook her head. "Slavery's illegal on my world, and we don't have spaceflight. Happens, but is struck at."

Anakin shrugged. "It's illegal in the Republic, though it still happens. Not illegal on much of the non Republic planets."

"Why haven't they moved to end it?" The redhead eyed Anakin who just shrugged in response.

"Gotta wonder why the Jedi haven't I think. Republic Senate is too tied up to do anything, I guess."

Anakin's voice showed his disinterest in government.

Ranma nodded. "Yeah..." being unclear to which she was agreeing with. Before she could continue, both Knight Kenobi and Master Jardon found their padawans.

"Anakin." Obi-wan's calling for the blond boy elicited a instant response, and his popping up, along with Ranma's standing up and half bow towards the Knight. "Come along, you are wanted for a lesson by Master Yoda." Anakin nodded, and waved at Ranma.

"Bye, see you later..." His voice trailed off, as Ranma returned the wave as she eyed her master, who had sat down on Anakin's space.

Ranma sat back down, and spoke quietly. "Why do I get to talk to Momma, while Anakin doesn't get to talk to his?" She looked down and sighed. "Anakin said Jedi don't talk to their parents, because of a no attachment rule..."

Eilsa winced at the guilty tone in Ranma's voice, and looked slightly sheepish. "Two reasons, I suppose. First is travel time to your homeworld is a lot longer than travel time to Tatooine. Two... your mother made it clear she wasn't going to let you go without having contact directly with you... and Shmi didn't realize we might allow it in Anakin's case." Ranma's eyes narrowed.

"It's... not right that I get to talk to Mom, and Kasumi-san, and the others, and he can't talk to his own mother... Or she coming to visit." Ranma trailed off.

Eilsa nodded. "Anakin's mother is a slave, Ranma" Ranma nodded, and broke in.

"Anakin said so, and that Master Jinn couldn't get them both out..." She looked disgusted, disbelieving. "Anakin said slavery was still legal in places, but that can't be right..."

Eilsa shook her head. "Tatooine is outside Republican space." Ranma's disbelief shone though.

"And the Republic and Jedi order let it stand?" Sheer disgust showed Ranma's view to Eilsa quite aptly.

Eilsa sighed. In some ways, she envied her padawan's naiveté. "Ranma... Suppose we were to take over every planet that disagreed with our view of the world. Fight a war over every disagreement. How many dead people would that leave?" She sighed, then took a deep breath. "We, both the Republic and Jedi have fought against the Hutts whenever the situation has called for it - but a war of that nature is beyond the Jedi's resources, and the Republic is slow to stir to war, and requires a clear and direct threat."

Ranma's face showed her dislike of that. "There is the way of Honor, then there is the way of expedience. Aren't the Jedi honorable?"

"Honorable, yes, we strive to be. Bloodthirsty, no. Did you go out and fight for every cause available? Did you fight against oppression on your planet?" Another sigh. "We Jedi as guardians and consuls, must pick our battles carefully. Sometimes the cost of winning, is losing everything. If you can find a way to defeat or at least end the Hutt's slavery, without killing millions, both on Hutt worlds, and our own Ranma, please... let us know. Ending Slavery is a goal we all have."

Ranma's shrug showed that she thought the Jedi hadn't thought it though. "Shadow warriors. Scum like slavers like the shadows. Precision strikes, take the leaders out." Ranma snickered. "Also, put them out of business."

Eilsa eyed her padawan. "Do you know the level of resources we would have to commit to either plan?"

Ranma smiled. "One shinobi changed Japan's fate. 1 man ended the Second world war, by a letter, that would have otherwise likely resulted in the destruction of Japan as a people." Ranma grinned impishly. "It's a fight. Find out where they are weak, and strike there as hard as you need to."

Eilsa stopped and then nodded. "Ranma. Some battles cannot be won... but sometimes you need to define the battle, and pick it with care." She smiled. "The Hutts are a proud race. Go up against one, and sooner or later, you find yourself taking them all on. They're typically not particular about their morals or means either, as evidenced by the fact that they still keep slaves." She eyed her padawan. "Tell you what. Both as an assignment to learn from, and as a way to argue to others, research the Hutts, their history, the Republic's history with Hutt space, and why slavery is still used in their space. Find their weakness, and I'll see what we can do about it. The council might go for an attempt to break their hold on their slaves. Also, research Twi'lek females, as well." She smirked. "However, as said, masters learned from their padawans, and you've taught me a lesson. One that the council needs to learn too. You've pointed out a flaw in our defenses... one which has to be addressed." Eilsa stood, wrote a small note in her datapad, and nodded at her Padawan. "Have fun, Padawan." She walked off, determined.

oooooo

Eilsa's stride into the council chambers where Mace and Yoda were waiting for her was relaxed, but purposeful. She bowed to both, and waited for them to respond.

"Ah... Master Jardon. Just the person we were waiting for. Your padawan is a interesting contradiction." Mace's voice rumbled.

"Quite. By the way, how are your ribs?" She couldn't keep a smirk out of her voice.

"Better. She is quite skilled, though I suspect now I haven't seen the fullest extent of her ability." Mace's voice was slightly chagrined.

"Underestimate a opponent again you will not, Windu!" Yoda's snort conveyed that he was pleased with the result. "Lucky we are, Sith had little influence on padawan." Mace and Eilsa nodded. "Oldest code, for Ranma best, Believe I." Both masters eyed the dimutive master.

"I... see, Master Yoda." Eilsa nodded, understanding what the respected master was saying. Mace shrugged indicating he'd leave that aspect to the others. "Do you have other suggestions?"

Yoda shook his head. "Consul I have not, later however, have I will. Master Windu, same sense I."

Mace nodded in response and added.

"I really need to figure out some full range of tests for her, though I have some ideas. What worries me, is she's already learning several saber forms just by watching others use them against her, or even just being used. I don't think Vaapid is the answer for her, at least not yet." His voice challenged no dissent on this matter. Neither master he challenged disagreed. "Excellent. I'll come up with some way to train her, and also teach her how to build a lightsaber, and test them. So she can fix the one her family had."

"Master Windu wisdom you speak. Master Jardon, wisdom, for us you have?" Yoda eyed the female Master.

"Well... I've set her on a task to learn everything about the Hutts, slavery and the Twi'lek females. She thinks we should remove the slavery in the Hutt space." Her voice was amused. "I told her if she could find a viable solution, I'd see if we could implement it." She snorted.

Mace grinned. "If by the Force she does, you'd have my support, but that's been eluding us for centuries!" Eilsa and Yoda both nodded.

"Furthermore, she did accidently point out two things to me." Eilsa looked out the windows, before turning back to the two senior masters.

"First and foremost, we're doing Anakin Skywalker an injustice. If we allow one older padawan to contact her parent, we should allow the other, at least infrequently." Both masters winced. "I'm not saying this to deny Ranma her contact, but to point out that we're being hypocritical if we do not."

Mace shrugged. "We'll take that under consideration at the next council meeting. I don't agree, but I do see your point."

Yoda stroked his chin. "Correct, Jardon, possibly you are. Meditate, on this should I before decision made. Continue, you should."

"Second, Anakin Skywalker's training would be enhanced, I suspect if he's sure his mother is no longer a slave, nor on Tatooine. Even if we don't allow contact, that alone would take a load off the child's mind, and allow him to concentrate fully, without that distraction." She eyed both masters. "Attached to his mother he is. We can't avoid that. We can however lessen the stress it places on him."

Mace nodded. "Excellent point. Also something to consider at the next meeting, and this I think I will support without question." Yoda simply nodded. "If that's all, Master Jardon, you have a padawan to ride herd on."

Eilsa snickered. "You do realize what her name means in her native tongue?"

Yoda looked curious and Mace voiced the question. "No, I don't think we do. What does it mean?"

As she turned to leave, she shot back. "Wild horse. Makes riding herd apt." She stepped into the turboshaft.

oooooo

Ranma wandered into the Great Library. She had gotten directions from a Knight who was kind about it, and escorted her to the library. She walked in, amazed by the number of books. She muttered under her breath, thanking Eilsa for teaching her the language that people here spoke. She really didn't want to lug around a translator, like she did for the first few days.

"Can I help you, young... oh. Padawan Saotome. What are you looking for?" a grandmotherly voice asked the startled redhead who lept up slightly, landing on a bookcase. "You can come down, I'm the keeper of the Archives here. Master Joscata Nu." Her aged voice was rich with amusement.

Ranma blushed slightly, and leapt down. "Umm... Master sent me to learn about Hutts, slavery, Twi'lek females. Any suggestions where to start?"

Joscata blinked. "Interesting assignment. May I ask why?"

"Told her that slavery needs to end, and suggested a way or two. She said, learn about them first." The shrug wasn't upset, just a tad confused.

Joscata nodded. "Well, if it's not in here, it doesn't exist, or at least not in this galaxy." She grinned, kneeling. "I think I can actually help you, and even expand on it. We have some books on previous attempts to end slavery in the Hutt Space, and several other books on slavery per say. Come, I'll get you started, first on a basic history of Hutts, and their society. Did Eilsa teach you to read?"

Ranma nodded as the woman stood, leading the way. "Yeah. She said she didn't want me to lug a translator around, and I've got to agree... though the language isn't as hard as Japanese. Surprised me."  
Joscata nodded.

"Excellent. However, some of the words are going to be hard, so I'm going to loan to you a specialized datapad. You type in the word, it'll give definitions." Ranma blinked, and Joscata nodded. "Helps, I think. Even I don't know the meaning of every word, and I keep one handy. Ah... here we go. 'Hutts and Space, by Zoba.' A decent overview of Hutt society by a Hutt." She handed the holobook to Ranma, and continued on. "Humm... Twi'lek culture and a brief history, I think. Where is that... Ah. There you are. 'A Twi'lek's life, by Mission Vao. Excellent choice, old but still a good one, and written in mind to be read by Jedi." She took down the second, adding it to the book Ranma already had.

Ranma sighed. "Man, I need to learn when to keep my foot out of my mouth." Jocasta laughed.

"Rather be out and about doing things, mmm? Knowledge helps to do that, though, young padawan. Sometimes without it, you won't know what's the right thing to do." Joscata grinned, not envying Eilsa her padawan one little bit.

"Yeah... but why do I see many books in my future?" Ranma sighed again.

The chief librarian for the order laughed. "I think you might be right. And here's two more 'A overview of Hutt warfare, by Justli Onasti and Slavery and the Galaxy, by Master Halycon. As with the Twi'lek book, old, but still good. The warfare book is a recent addition, and Master Onasti is on Watchman duty, and I might be able to get you a interview with him. As for the device I promised you, here it is! The device is yours, I'll register it to you. Just don't lose it. They're not cheap! These four books should keep you busy initially. Once done, come and get more, but bring the ones you've read back!" She waved a finger at Ranma who nodded. "Good. Just scan the book's binding here, and then put your finger to the screen, and the books will be marked with you. Need to keep track of them, don't you agree?"

"Yeah... Lots of them here..." Ranma trailed off seeing the vast collection.

"Not just books, but yes. We have spent eons collecting these." The tone of voice was proud of that fact.

Ranma nodded and chirped. "Thanks! Need to go and eat dinner now! Be back soon!" Jocasta laughed.

"Indeed, Padawan Saotome. I see everyone sooner or later." She watched as the small redhead sped out.

oooooo

Eilsa sighed as she walked the corridor to her quarters. For the first time, she truly understood just how much of a challenge her padawan would be. She had charged herself with turning possibly the  
most dangerous living weapon in the universe into a Jedi. As difficult as it was to believe, Ranma could tear through the ranks of all the Padawans by herself, and could hold her own against any  
Master. About the only thing that kept Ranma from going rogue was a highly specialized sense of honor - one that had her jumping to war with the Hutts, no less! Eilsa was handling the problem the only way she knew - teach Ranma in the light, and fast, before the shadows could come to claim her, and praying that it would be enough. She opened the door to her quarters, and smiled. If there was one good thing she'd taught her padawan, it was how to make Rek Tea. The tannins filled the air, a welcoming aroma to come home to.

Good evening, Master Jardon!" Ranma chimed, and handed her a cup of tea. "How was your day?"

"Interesting," Eilsa replied; she took off the overcloak of her robes, and took a sip of the bitter brew. "Good tea; thank you. Morning research to avoid getting shown up by my padawan, evening planning  
sessions with Masters Yoda and Windu... it's been an adventure. You?"

Her question cracked the facade of the formal greeting; Eilsa realized belatedly she should have known something was wrong from that. "Well, it was fun working with Master Windu; I didn't mean to hurt him like that. I thought he could take the hit. Then I had a talk with Master Yoda about the Force... I went to the library... and I've been studying here." She bit her lip. "Um..." Ranma set her tea down and pressed her fingers together , embarrassed. "I'm not sure how to ask this..."

Elisa blinked. She'd never seen her padawan quite so flustered before. "What is it?"

Ranma pursed her lips. "Well, I realized something when I was talking with Master Yoda earlier... I already know a lot of it - I mean, I was sixteen once, and got the talk from Kasumi, but..." Her face turned as red as her hair. "... um... how weird was it when you went through girl puberty?"

A spray of rek tea arced across the living room as Eilsa sputtered. Sometimes it just didn't pay to be a Jedi...


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to Nightelf for his scenes, and thanks to Haze, Aseland, Skelethin and many more poor poor poor editors (They don't get enough thanks, at ALL) As always, thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy. See Disclaimer in the first chapter

Ranma sighed, straightened her white and brown Jedi robes and started

the holorecording to be sent home. Her voice was forcefully cheerful.

"Hi, Mom, Akane, Ucchan and all. As Eilsa reminds me, you all want to

know that I haven't blown the Temple up, or haven't started a intergalactic war yet. Well, not yet anyways. I'm loving the training here, and the food's decent. Not as good as Kasumi's... man, there are times I could just kill for some of Kasumi's sukiyaki." Her voice trailed off, remembering some of Kasumi's more noteworthy meals, and then shuddering suddenly at the thought of Akane's cooking. Ranma paused, blinked, shook off the memory and went on with what her

mother would want to know.

"Made a friend named Anakin, who had just become a padawan. His master was trained by the same guy that trained Eilsa! He's cool, knows about spacecraft and droids, and all that technological stuff. Can even build a lot of it!" Ranma relaxed slightly as she proceeded into the recording. "Besides him, none of the other kids or teenagers are really warming up to me. There's this baka called Sangoes, who thinks that I shouldn't be here, goes out of his way to try to show me up in anything he can. Outside book learning, he fails miserably at

that, especially in lightsaber or unarmed spars." Her smirk at this statement was quite visible. "Also tries to enforce some of the lamest rules I've heard." Ranma shook her head, and sighed, letting some of her emotions out to be seen by those watching the recording.

"The other kids here, who are called younglings, I don't come into contact enough to see if they could be friends. Students with a master are always busy, so I meet them not enough to get to know them." Ranma paused and then went on, brightening somewhat. "Master Windu's fun, especially since I can't always beat him, especially with lightsabers. He's teaching me how to fight the Jedi way... plus he managed to explain what I was doing when I learned moves, and suggested that I try it with other things." Ranma shrugged, waving her hands slightly, and added. "Master Yoda reminds me of some priests, always going on about how and why things should be done or not done, and why things happen. Kinda boring, but needed." Ranma paused to gather her thoughts, smoothing out her robes somewhat, then plowed onwards. "You just can't use the Art against anyone, after all, and that's a problem I had. If Baka-Panda had taught me more thinking, I'd likely not have had as much problems." She snorted on the last.

"As if Baka-Panda taught anything but moves. Master Yoda only teaches words, not anything else. Gets boring after a while." She paced a bit, finally scratching at the back of her pigtail. "He's right, but it's boring. Pops never thought much of meditation or book learning besides the minimum he thought he could get away with." She sighed. "Really wish Pop thought more about stuff like that..." Ranma smiled suddenly, hopping a bit, up and down. "Master Yoda, the kermit like person has this perfect saying. 'Chaos, yet harmony' Ne, Kasumi? Tried that for the Tendo home, didn't you?" Ranma suddenly looked down at her feet. "Sorry about not making it easier on you..."

Ranma paused, shaking off the feeling of shame. "Eilsa has me learning all about people, and creatures called the Hutts who enslave people. Blah. Baka greedy worms. Remind me of Nabiki, if she was older, uglier and better at her scams. They keep slaves, and I made a comment about how the Jedi should get rid of slavery." Ranma snorted, showing some anger, then waved it away. "Oh, well. Not the first person to think that about them, not the last, I bet, according to the books I've read." Ranma smirked suddenly. "Nabiki better watch out, if these Hutts ever make it to Earth, she's perfect for what they want in their dancing girls." The smile on Ranma's face made it clear that she hadn't forgotten about Nabiki's scams.

"Besides that, just learning more about the force, eating well, learning about laws, and Republican history, boring! Math's actually kinda fun, in it's own way. Oh, some cool characters in history, and Galactic Basic is much easier than Japanese to learn how to read and write." Ranma nodded in satisfaction at her missive and then added. "Well, that's it for now, I am studying, Momma, and I'll do you all proud. Umm... ah... umm... love you all." Ranma mumbled and hit the send button before she could take that back, and leaned back in the communication room in the Temple. She sighed, knowing it'd take more than a hour to reach her mother, and that now she had another lesson with Master Yoda.

oooooo

Yoda watched settled on a mediation pod as his student assumed a mediation position according to his instructions. After she settled into position, he spoke softly. "Learned this past month, ethics of use, you have. Learn uses of the Force, some, you have already. Learn today, different uses, you will."

Ranma eyed the short green master dubiously. "If you say so."

"So I say. Do, you must. Meditate. Let you mind wander with the Force."Yoda's voice softened even more towards the end of his short speech.

Ranma rolled her eyes, and then "Ow! What was that was for?" while rubbing the top of her head.

"If believe you do not, Fail you will!" Yoda said sternly. He studied Ranma for a moment before letting a hint of amusement creep back into his voice. "Think you know better than me?"

Ranma sighed, shifting around. "It's hard." Yoda nodded.

"For you this is hard, due to previous training. Unlearn, then learn, you must. You trust Kun Loc?" Yoda eyed the young redhead.

"Yeah." Ranma shrugged, as if to say, this is important because?

"Trust me to know the Force you should as you trust her about battle." Yoda's voice sounded satisfied with making a point. "Aid you in battle the Force does. Aid other ways, it can, if you allow it. Let your mind drift into the Force!" The master pointed at Ranma's chest with his walking stick to emphasize his point.

Ranma sighed and nodded. "Yes, Master Kermit." She smirked and then winced. "Ow..."

"Impudent you are. You will mediate." Yoda's grouchy expression indicated he wasn't amused by the redheaded child's antics.

Yoda watched as the child's breathing slowed, and he felt the stirrings in the Force to indicate she was trying to let her mind loose into the Force. "Think, do not. Drift, do." His soft voice produced a slight shift in the feelings, and he felt her shift closer into the trance state that indicated she was receptive to visions. "In motion you have always been. To truly see you need to release motion. Think not, relax you need." He kept his tone soft, and

lowered the volume more and more. Yoda nodded satisfied as her breathing settled and her mind drifted into the Force, in the sense of being able to see what the Force wished her to see.

Flashes of images streaked across her mind's eyes, some lingering longer than others. The Chaos of battle was frequently in the ones that lasted. Laughter and a Wookie in some. Anakin in several. A young redheaded girl looking at a older Ranma in one. Starships blazing in the night. A darkly hooded man laughing at something. A Man in some weird armor dueling another man with a metal jaw and tattoos on his head, in a place of darkness. Doctor Tofu treating a small child. Colonge peering at a crystal of some sort. Master Windu cradling a stump of a arm. All these images flashed throughout her, finally setting onto an image she both understood but didn't. A group of people, some she knew well, some she didn't, at a kissaten she knew well, in Nerima. What caused her to lose the vision, and awaken from her mediation was the people.

"... Was that supposed to happen?" Ranma asked, her voice stunned.

"Was what?" Yoda's quiet voice helped the child to focus.

"I... at the end, saw myself, an adult, back in Nerima, at a coffeehouse I know somewhat." Ranma's voice was curious.

"Possible, that is, however, more to say?"

"I... I was on Earth, in a coffeehouse. It had to be; it wasn't rek tea, but natural Earth tea, darjeeling. Also, the architecture looked typical for Nerima. We were sitting there in a group; Akane was there, Ukyou, Shan Pu, even Kodachi; all of them were being civil, which really surprised me. The really weird thing, though, was that all of them wore Jedi robes." Ranma's voice was very puzzled.

"So sure you are, it was Earth?"

Ranma blinked at the question. "It... it couldn't have been real, Master. The ages were all wrong - the old fiancees were the same age as me - and there were non-humans there, too. But it was Earth."

"The others - what did they look like?"

"She was... ageless; I could see centuries just by looking in her eyes. A regal woman with brown hair and some fancy Jedi robes; she looked mostly human, but had pointed ears."

Yoda's ear twitched. "Possible it is. The fungus exists, yes? The planet exists, yes? Also, amused Master Fay, would be, to hear of her presence."

Ranma's eyes crossed. "But... then that's the future? Who's the redhead?"

Yoda shook his head. "Possible future, not the future, saw you did."

A cocked head from the redhead indicated her puzzlement. "How can anyone see the future? Isn't it not possible?"

"Always in motion is the future, yes. Unifying Force, is everywhen and everywhere. Strong in the Force, you are, shows you possibilities." Yoda's ear twitched again. "Not certainties, just possibilities, see you can. The future is always in motion, always changing." Yoda nodded seriously. "Take as a guide, not as fact, these visions of the future."

Ranma nodded. "I... think I understand, Master Yoda. It's a possibility, that may or may not happen?"

"Correct, you are." Yoda sighed. "Events leading to that, know you not. Possibility, events needed have already passed, and not possible now. Possibility that the events to cause it are to happen, also. Do not dwell on the vision, except as a possibility, you should." The small master eyed the young padawan in front of him, who was looking wide-eyed at him.

"All things possible with the Force, if you listen to it. Listen, and be aware of it, but you do not let yourself be locked into a possibility! Be wary, for warning it might be, future you saw, might be bad." Yoda shook his head, and thumped his cane. "Do not force the future. What else, see you did?"

Ranma nodded. "Battles, lots of chaos... the redheaded girl, Anakin, Master Windu missing his hand, large spaceships dying... and a older man, I think... in a black hood laughing. Only the stuff about me on Terra really lasted that long." Ranma blinked. "Though... there were some different feeling images. One of a bald man with red tattoos on his head and a metal jaw, in a lightsaber duel with what I think was a other man, in some funky armor and robes, in a nasty feeling place. Oh, saw Colonge peering at some crystal, and Doc Tofu treating a child. Didn't feel like the other visions." Ranma's shrug caused her to miss Yoda's expression.

Yoda kept his face passive. "Possibilities... remember that, only possibilities you see. May not be, may be warning to you, or to the Jedi, unknown it is. The other visions... The duel I will ponder and tell you later. Colonge and Doctor Tofu's images, now I suspect."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, clearly confused. Yoda sighed again.

"See what they were doing now, you did. Not what they will do." Yoda was rewarded with a awed expression on Ranma's face.

"Wow... that's possible? Even as far away as they are?"

Yoda's simple nod satisfied the child.

Ranma's eyes crossed again as she returned to a previous thought. "How can you tell which is what? Hell, how can you tell if it's a likely or unlikely event to happen, or is real or false?"

Yoda smiled. "Correct, young padawan. The question you asked... mediate on it, I will. One cannot know the answer, without thought! Even then, answer may not be possible until after events, have happened."

Ranma's expression was slightly sour. "What good is it, then? What use is this ... ability?"

Yoda nodded. "Many have asked, few have answers. Similar power you may develop under your control, with work. The ability to see events far away, as they happen, as you did with your mentors on Earth, but under your control."

Ranma grinned. "Now that's useful. Man, if I could see Herb coming... would have been able... well, no, maybe not." Yoda kept a smile from showing, and watched as Ranma shook her head.

Yoda harrumphed. "Go, to Master Jordan for more training, you need to. Ponder this vision I will."

Ranma got up, and bowed to the most respected master of the Order, and scampered out, looking for her master.

Yoda watched the girl leave his rooms and sighed finally. "Strong, in the force you are, young padawan. Strong enough, is the question that we need to ask... for the sake of us all."

oooooo

Ranma bounced into the training salle, looking around for Master Windu. She carried a bag and a lightsaber, as he had requested that she bring them along. "Master Windu?"

"Yes?" As Mace stepped out of the shadows, Ranma lept and snapkicked in surprise.

"... do I need to call Master Bant?" Ranma asked timidly.

Mace shook his head as he pushed himself off the ground. "No, not this time. However, please don't kick me." He grinned, taking the sting out of it.

"Umm... you surprised me." Ranma twisted her body slightly. She brightened lightly. "Here. You asked me to bring these!" She held out the bag and the lightsaber.

Mace eyed her and nodded. "Yes, I did." He took both items from her, and led

her over to a table. "While I'll do this for you this time, you will learn to maintain and build your own lightsaber very quickly." He stopped and nodded admiring the workmanship of the ancient lightsaber. "Lightsabers mark a Jedi in a way that I cannot define. You will understand when you modify this one, or build your own. I can say, you do fight better with a lightsaber that you yourself have built." Mace watched Ranma's face scrunch slightly.

"Well, I can see why you'd fight better with one you made for yourself, but why a lightsaber at all?" Ranma's voice asked curiously.

"Well, people shoot at you with blasters, you can deflect them with your blade. Also, it's a symbol." Ranma wasn't completely convinced, so Mace added. "It's also a way to inflict more damage faster, ending a fight quicker, plus it extends your reach. Last, but not least... It's tradition. One even older than the Republic as it currently stands." He sighed.

Ranma shrugged slightly. "But isn't it easier to kill people with it?" Mace nodded.

"Indeed. It is an awesome responsibility, and a troubling one. While we wish no one had to die, sometimes, that will be your only choice, to defend yourself or defend others." He looked out a window and sighed again. "Killing should never be easy." He accepted Ranma's serious nod.

"I don't want to kill. Hell, I don't really want to fight, not for real." Ranma shook her head. "Killing's wrong!"

Mace nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Yes, yes it is. Sometimes, it's the least wrong of the choices you will face."

Ranma's eyes grew stubborn. "I won't kill." Mace let his eyebrows rise.

"Even if it is your life or his? Or, worse, someone innocent or his?" Mace watched satisfied as Ranma's face grew troubled.

"However, I want you to consider that over time. It's not something you have to face now. Today, we see what you were left by your Jedi ancestors, from a time we have little records of." Mace inspected the lightsaber and placed it into a stand, and hooked a sensor to it. "Ahh, no charge. Good."

Ranma peered as Mace quietly disassembled the lightsaber, his eyes rising slightly on the three crystal construction, and the archaic nature of the parts. "Humm..." He laid out the parts, and spoke softly. "The old Republic did have technology. I wonder still how much we lost during the Dark Ages." He shook himself quietly.

Ranma nodded and listened intently as Mace went though each part and memorized them. One part that drew a smile from Mace, drew a frown from Ranma. "Wait. This lightsaber had its on switch inaccessible from the hilt?"

"Yes. You have to use the Force to activate it. Very clever, and it makes sure it doesn't turn on without your express intent." Mace looked at the part and nodded. "Also makes it difficult for those who don't know exactly where it is to turn it on." Mace went on. "If you'll note, the creator of this saber used three crystals. Most Jedi don't, at least now. Excuse me a moment, I need to see what these crystals are."

Ranma's eyebrows rose, as Mace came back, looking pale and clearly stunned. "Master?"

Mace shook himself, and placed all three crystals next to each other. "Well. I had to check, but I verified what these were." He reverently eyed the three. Pointing at the white gem, which was in one of the secondary slots he spoke quietly and with a hint of awe. "This... is the Solari. It... is legend. It is the truest crystal for the Jedi. Just its return would have garnered awe and inspiration to us, but having a Jedi wield it?" He shook his head, smiling softly at Ranma's puzzled expression. "Consider it an assignment to research all these crystals." He grinned at Ranma's expression.

"Aw... man. More reading?" Mace nodded.

"Yes. A Jedi must be well educated." He enjoyed Ranma's sigh. He put the Solari aside, shaking his head, and went onto the other secondary crystal. "This greenish-white one is Upari, used in the days of the Old Republic. Useful, though we don't know all it's effects." Ranma nodded, as Mace went onto the larger matrix. "This... this is the Mantle of the Force. It... is a legendary main crystal. I honestly do not know what all it can do. When reassembled, this will be... the most potent saber I have ever seen, or that we have even in storage from older Jedi Masters."

"... Oh." Ranma's expression was guarded. "This is a good thing?"

"Indeed. It may be. Well, I consider it a good thing. Others... might not." Mace nodded, and began to examine each part and Ranma watched him carefully as he quietly explained it to her. Shortly he had finished the inspected and straightened. "Well, well. 4000 years and only two minor parts have to be replaced. Impressive. The ancients built well." He eyed Ranma's shrug. "Oh?"

"Well, there's thousand year old blades at home that are still good, why won't these be still good?" Ranma's voice was puzzled. "Doesn't higher technology mean longer lasting?"

Mace smiled, and shook his head. "Not always, but with lightsabers, often it does mean exactly that." He turned and pointed at a box in the alcove. "Please fetch that box." He eyed the child as she bounced over and scooped it up. He nodded as she set it on the table. "Excellent."

Ranma eyed the master as he removed replacement parts and checked them. "Wait, parts now, will fit in a 4000 year old lightsaber? Don't things change?"

Mace grinned. "Apparently not. While the parts aren't quite like the ones I'm replacing, they are close enough to easily work. Seems that design hasn't changed." He looked at the display where the power cell was charging and nodded. "Excellent, it is taking a charge still. Shortly we'll see." He quickly fitted all the parts back together, and put it aside.

"Now what?" Ranma eyed her weapons teacher.

"We wait for your cell to charge. Let's see what else is in your little bag." Windu set words to action, and carefully removed several boxes from the bag, and as he inspected each one, whistled softly, until he came to the last two boxes. Mace opened the smaller one, and blinked repeatedly.

"Master?" Ranma eyed the motionless senior Jedi, and repeated. "Master!"

"Wha... oh." Mace shook himself and carefully closed it. "This... I think I'll need to talk to Master Yoda, and Master Jardon over it. Amazing. The Heart of the Guardian. All three legendary crystals." He eyed Ranma. "Just... a bundle of history, aren't you?"

"Huh?" The puzzled expression was clear. "I didn't do anything!"

"No. Just... brought back three crystals that were believed to be lost. At least now we know why they were." Mace grinned. "Revan was reputed to have all three, and it appears to be true."

"... Oh." The shrug that accompanied that word was clearly relived at not being in trouble. "What's in the other boxes?"

"Just lightsaber crystals. Revan apparently collected a lot. Mostly natural crystals, that I know about, but never seen. You've made several of us very happy." Mace smirked at Ranma.

"... Why?" Ranma blinked. "Oh, different crystals change what the lightsaber can do?"

Mace nodded, glad she grasped the idea quickly. "Exactly. Several of us will raid your collection."

Ranma shrugged. "Okay..." She opened the last box herself, and blinked. "Uh... this isn't lightsaber crystals, are they?" Mace looked over her shoulder, and saw a square rose crystals that to his eyes radiated a force signature.

"Sithspit! A Holocron!" Mace's voice breathed in. "Now, maybe we'll find out what happened at the end of the Civil War."

Ranma's eyes rose. "Civil war?" She blinked, and then winced.

Mace eyed her, and nodded. "The Jedi Civil war, and by your wince you can guess an assignment."

"Yeah, yeah, research it." Ranma's voice grew disgusted with herself. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Mace grinned. "Yes, you did, but as I'm sure you have heard before a Jedi cannot be..."

"Uneducated." Ranma's voice was flat, as she was repeating a statement she's heard before, many times.

"Indeed." Mace's hands worked over it, but could not get it to activate. "Humm... might be a trick to activate this I don't know about. Let Eilsa try."

Mace was spared his musings as the charger beeped. "It's time to see just what this blade can do."

"Cool!"

Mace pointed at the cell, and grinned. "YOU put the cell in and activate it. It'll be yours, after all."

Ranma obeyed, and both heard a click as the cell locked in, and Ranma's hand put the final part of the covering on.

"Now point the saber's emitter away from us both, and try to activate it." Mace's voice was interested as he watched Ranma obey the first part and by her slight frown attempt the second for a endless moment, until the frown disappeared and the saber ignited with the characteristic snap sound.

"Wow..." Ranma's eyes were drawn to the silvery cyan blade. "Umm... is this supposed to be the color? It's not like yours, or Master's Eilsa... or even Knight Kenobi's..."

"Indeed, but the crystals in the blade might produce a unusual color. Try it out." Mace's voice was intent.

Ranma nodded, and slowly worked though the velocities of Form I saber combat, gradually picking up speed as she grew used to the blade's weight and power. She finished the form at full speed, and turned to the Korriban master. "Now we test it against drones, I bet." Ranma's voice made it clear she didn't expect it to be a question.

Mace grinned and removed a remote, and with a press of a button twelve drones popped into motion and he nodded at them, then Ranma. "Enjoy, setting's level 8." He enjoyed Ranma's betrayed look.

Ranma's weaving and blocking were crisp and fast, but not fast enough to keep several drones from stinging her legs and back. She finally was able to figure out how to disable them by sending the bolts back to the drones, and under 4 minutes the drones all hovered waiting for Master Windu to give them new commands. Ranma wiped sweat off her brow and breathed a single word. "Ow..."

As the last drone deactivated, Mace nodded. "Excellent progress... though you do need to work on your deflection some." Mace ignored the pointed look that Ranma shot him. "Shoo, go clean up. It's nearly time for supper." Ranma glared at him again, and limped out of the salle.

Mace waited till the padawan had limped out of her hearing range, and walked over to the wall, and hit the intercom. "Master Yoda."

"Yes?" The wall speaker crackled.

"May I meet with you?" Mace's voice covered some of his urgency.

"Share evening meal, you will with me." The speaker convoyed the amusement from

the most respected master of the Order.

"Of course." Mace cut the intercom and nodded. "This should enlighten his meal."

oooooo

Mace finished the simple meal that Yoda preferred, and settled as Yoda collected the plates He knew of Master Yoda's preference for not discussing important matters over a meal, however the time had come. "Master Yoda. We... have a situation to discuss."

"Discuss we will, Master Windu." Yoda settled in and stroked his cane.

"As you might know, I requested Padawan Saotome to bring her crystals and the saber that she had from her family." This statement was rewarded with a nod. "I disassembled the lightsaber and found that the technology was just about the same, to my mild surprise, but that is not what I wish to discuss."

"Gathered as much, did I." Yoda's ears perked forward inviting the younger Jedi to continue.

"The crystals, and yes, I do mean multiple crystals, in her lightsaber were the start of the surprises." Master Windu was rewarded by a quirk of Yoda's ears in curiosity, but no other response. "The first crystal was Unpari crystal." Yoda nodded in response.

"Rare, now it is, powerful as well. Useful for warriors." He smiled at Master Windu. "However, this not worthy of special discussion."

Mace nodded, and responded. "Indeed. The other secondary crystal was the Solari." To this, Yoda's expression for the first time in Windu's memory registered surprise.

"Solari. Sure you are this is?" Yoda settled and smoothed his expression and stroked his cane's top.

The weaponsmaster nodded. "Oh, that wasn't the end of the surprises, though. Primary crystal was the Mantle of the Force." Mace couldn't help it. Watching Yoda fall off his pod was worth every hole in the wall Ranma had made. The younger man helped Yoda back onto his pod, and was whacked for the surprise.

"Warning, you should have given!" Yoda grumped. "Chaos, Padawan Saotome IS!" Mace kept his smile small, but even Yoda gave up and shook his head. "Surprised, should not we be."

"Oh, it gets better." Mace really couldn't help it. He grinned. "Collection of crystals that haven't been used in lightsabers BEFORE the Reformation as well." Yoda's eyebrow's quirked. "But that wasn't the end of the surprises. Would having the Heart of the Guardian be enough for our little chaos bringer?" Mace watched as Yoda's ears rose up in surprise, and waited a moment. "No. She has a holocron... which is active, but doesn't respond to the standard methods I know of."

"..." Yoda managed to keep from falling off to this news, but Mace knew it was difficult.

"Well, I told her to bring the Holocron to Eilsa, and I have a message for her to meet me in a few moments, so I'll be going now." Mace stood and bowed, which Yoda returned.

Yoda straightened up and before Mace could depart, his cane struck. "Be glad, you should be, for returned the legacy of Revan has. Which legacy, shall see the Jedi." Yoda watched as Mace rubbed his head, still smiling, and returned the younger Jedi's bow as the younger departed finally. Quietly and softly the aged master spoke to the quiet of his room. "Legacy of Revan, yes. Legacy of blood it is... Blood saved or blood spilled shall be seen."

oooooo

Eilsa walked into Master Windu's rooms, puzzled by the request for her presence. "Master Windu?"

He turned from the window, and nodded. "Ah, Eilsa. Thank you for coming."

She took the seat indicated, and folded her legs gracefully. "So, what's this about. You don't look blown into the wall or otherwise injured today... " Eilsa trailed off, raising a eyebrow inquisitively.

"No, it's just your padawan nearly gave me a heart attack today." Mace's expression was wry. "Did you know she had a holocron in her possession, besides that old lightsaber, and several other gems, a few useable in lightsabers?"

Eilsa shook her head. "No, I didn't. Which holocron?"

"We're not sure." Mace's expression was amused by that statement. "Interesting, the Sith are on the move again, and we find a holocron from their second period. Only thing that would be more blatant would be if we found Lord Hoth's."

Eilsa blinked repeatedly. "My padawan has a holocron? Has to be from one of the figures around Revan or Revan himself. I'm going to have to get it from her."

Mace nodded enjoying the look on her face. "Also, not to mention she has the famed lightsaber crystal Mantle of the Force AND The Solari in the lightsabers. With the Holocron was the Heart of the Guardian!"

Mace blinked as he watched Eilsa slid off the pod. "Yeah, that was my reaction."

Eilsa stood up, from her fall, and sat back down, shaking her head. "My. I suspect you haven't told the other historians of this." She was rewarded with a nod. "May I ask why?"

Mace nodded again, and spoke softly. "In discussion with Master Yoda, we... feel that it would be ill advised to advertise these to the other Jedi. Not... deny it, but just keep it low key. No need to start the others seriously worrying about a new dark age or new Jedi civil war."

Eilsa nodded. "Then what do we do? Denying the archives that holocron... well, I wouldn't want to be you, when Master Nu finds out."

Mace winced at the thought of denying that formidable keeper of the Archives anything. "We... haven't decided yet how to handle it. Any suggestions?"

Eilsa tapped her fingers on her thigh in irritation. "Mmm... We... could copy it, and give it to Joscata, and say we found it with Ranma. Just not tell her where."

Mace shook his head. "Tempting as that is, that has its own risks. We do not want to associate Terra with Ranma, or even mention Terra at all. Any of us with a basic interest in history will want to go to Terra."

Eilsa nodded. "Well. How about this. We give a copy to Jocasta, and have her treat it as a Sith Holocron. Secure and limited access to those who need it. And make sure she understands that we cannot tell her where it came from, nor is she to distribute it outside Council approval? Assuming we can get it to talk, that is."

Mace rubbed his chin... "That... might work, especially if we also limit access to council approval only. This holocron at this time, would... be disturbing to many."

"And about Ranma's saber crystals? Unless you are planning to keep one?" She teased.

The Korrban master just eyed the woman in front of him. "That saber had the Solari, and that's Ranma's. The Heart of the guardian... well, if Ranma chooses dual sabers, it'd go well for her. She demonstrated an interesting form using two blades... might prove useful for her."

"That doesn't answer my question." Eilsa's tone was mocking.

"Same as the holocron, Eilsa. Too... many of the Jedi would begin looking at her as some figure either to destroy us, or save us all. And we know you don't want that." Mace turned to look out the window again. "In fact, I think that was a wise decision on your part... even though she's beginning to make waves in the Order."

The female Jedi master stood, and bowed slightly. "I agree. With your permission, I think I need to make sure that Ranma hasn't gotten into trouble. It's been too quiet today."

Mace nodded grinning. "Of course, Master Jardon."

oooooo

Ranma finished making the tea, and smiled as Eilsa walked though the door, offering her a cup. "Master?"

Eilsa took the cup and eyed her padawan. "Care to explain to me why you had a holocron, and didn't tell me?" Her voice was bemused.

"Oh... so that's why Master Windu paled and played with it for a bit. Huh. I thought you knew Mom and others gave me stuff?" Ranma's voice was plaintive.

Eilsa shook her head. "Not that... mmm, but this time, it's my fault for not asking. True wisdom comes from realizing you need to ask questions."

Ranma nodded dutifully. "Of course, Master."

Eilsa shook her head. "We'll copy it, and let you keep it. You're not to tell anyone you have it, though... or your lightsaber crystals. However..." Eilsa watched as Ranma nodded and added. "For an assignment, you're to research what we have on Reven, his period of time and those two crystals, BEFORE I show you how to access the crystal. Now, finish your tea, and go to sleep, Padawan." She hid a smile as Ranma bit back a groan at the additional work that was just added to her. Eilsa knew that Ranma kept digging and digging into the Slavery issue, but hadn't made any progress.

"Yes, master." Ranma's voice sounded distressed.

Eilsa nodded and sipped her tea. "Excellent."

oooooo

Obi-wan smiled at Eilsa as he walked into her quarters. "So, how is your padawan this fine evening?" His voice was teasing. "I haven't heard Bant laughing, or explosions, so I assume she kept from wrecking something else?"

Eilsa shot a mild glare at the younger Jedi. "No, today was YOUR padawan's day for mischief. I heard about those droids deciding Sangrous would make a fun training dummy."

Obi-wan winced. The quiet little war between the older padawan and a few of his companions, and their two children had grown, not lessened. Fortunately, neither Anakin nor Ranma seemed inclined to push it, just... whenever the few padawans who agreed with Sangrous bothered them... mischief happened. "Well, at least I didn't find a padawan apprentice hanging from a tree, tied up and half-naked, like you did."

Eilsa sighed. "Indeed. Malia did stop bothering them after that. And I'll give her credit, she didn't try to get Ranma in trouble."

Obi-wan nodded. "And Master Yoda thought it funny, so he didn't punish Ranma." He grinned. "Of course, I heard Master Sarin being annoyed that it took basically cutting the ropes to get his padawan out of the tree, and out of the ties."

Eilsa snickered, remembering Yoda's amusement. "Indeed. I heard Yoda mentioning that Malia needed training in escaping from bonds. Steamed

Master Sarin but well. How did Master Luxal take Sangrous' little incident today?"

Obi-wan shook his head. "Master Luxal... is worried. He feels that Anakin and Ranma are well within the bounds, but... he... doesn't understand why Sangrous is doing this... nor why is he enlisting other padawans to help him."

Eilsa shook her head. "Not our problem. If needed, Luxal will ask for our advice. Sangrous isn't the first padawan to get a swollen head."

Obi-wan nodded, accepting the change of subject. "So, why did I see Master Windu in a hurry today, Eilsa? What new bedeviltry did your padawan spring on our poor Weaponsmaster?" He grinned, taking the sting out of it.

Eilsa paused... "Obi-wan? I can't discuss that. It's... council business and nothing major, but... just disturbing."

Obi-wan nodded. "I hope it isn't more Sith activity. That would be... annoying."

Eilsa grinned lopsidedly. "I don't believe it was, but with the council, they'll tell us if they want us to know."

Obi-wan nodded, and stood up. "Well, I need to go. Sleep calls. You know... if we were half as much trouble to Qui-Gon as our padawans are to us, I'm deeply amazed that he didn't have a head full of white hair."

Eilsa laughed quietly. "Indeed. I swear, it's a race between me and you to see who gets the most grey first."

The Knight snerked at the master. "I have light hair. I don't think people will notice... You, on the other hand..." He ducked the pillow thrown at him, and bowed as he backed out the door. "Until later, Master Jardon."

oooooo

Ranma eyed the bouncing Skywalker as he joined her at lunch. "What's got you all up, Anakin?"

"Oh, Mom's here! On Coruscant." Anakin beamed. "I even get to see her every month."

"Good for you." Ranma didn't hide the slightly sour thought in her voice.

"Uh... " Anakin looked at the two trays and sighed. "Sorry... I know your mom's too far away to see like mine..."

Ranma shrugged. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm glad for you. It's important to know your folks." Ranma began to eat, letting go of any resentment. It's not like she hadn't been separated before anyways. Relaxing in the sheer joy of Anakin's feelings, she noted several pointed looks, especially from Sangrous and his companions. Ranma returned the pointed look, only to feel a feather light tapping in her mind.

Behave. Their masters will deal with them. No blowing up their rooms. the thought of Eilsa whispered though the redhead's mind. Ranma nodded towards her master, noting silently Anakin's stop and sigh.

"Let me guess, Obi-wan-sensei had a comment or two?" Anakin's nod was rueful.

"He said that I shouldn't show emotion, and learn to control it. Bah. It's not every day you get to see your mother again, is it?"

Ranma had to grin, before noting Eilsa's expression at her communicator.

A sharp twitch reached her and Anakin stiffened at the same time. Both padawans looked at their respective masters, and saw a sharp command in their eyes.

Ranma sighed, and quickly finished her meal, and stood up, followed by Anakin who shook his head. "Huttspawn. What now? We haven't pulled any pranks... today..."

Ranma laughed quietly as she went over to the masters. "Oh, I'm sure it's something... Maybe not us?"

"Ranma. Meet me in our quarters, and Anakin, Obi wan will want the same with you. Something has come up." Eilsa's expression was oddly reserved.

"Oh?" Ranma asked.

"Yes. We'll discuss it shortly." Eilsa stood, and gestured at the padawans to be on their way.

oooooo

Ranma was never comfortable with authority figures. It was ingrained as a part of her from childhood. Too many of her encounters with authority figures were officials querying either about her father's less-than-legal activities or her absence from school. Every authority figure she'd ever met seemed to be serving two masters, themselves and some higher power, and it always unnerved her how people could live with such a dichotomy.

The gentleman at the other end of the table was no exception. She'd heard vaguely from Anakin that he was a kind, grandfatherly sort. That still didn't get rid of the smarmy feeling she was getting from him. Unfortunately, this was an invitation she couldn't refuse. When the chancellor asks for you, it's not a good idea to refuse.

The Chancellor, it seemed, was interested in the welfare of the Jedi Corps as a whole, so he'd invited select members of the Corps to dine with him. Even worse, he'd heard about her and Anakin and their abilities, and was curious to meet with them further. The talk had been safe thus far, with Yoda, Mace, and Depa relating Council business and concerns. So far, she and Anakin had skated underneath the radar - which was just the way she wanted it.

Inwardly, Ranma sighed. At least the food was good, reminiscent of roast duck, though cooked far more delicately than she'd ever attempt. She made sure to watch her manners as Eilsa had ordered; indeed, it seemed as though both Eilsa and the Chancellor constantly had one eye on her. She kept her eyes cast to the table, as it seemed safer that way.

"So... Ranma, is it? Tell me; how do you like the food?"

Though she didn't show it, internally Ranma winced. She'd been hoping to get by without saying much. "Um... it's quite good, sir."

Palpatine chuckled silkily. "Indeed. Sometimes the best meals one can have - such as this roast gorak - are the most basic, but cooked with a master's skill. Much like the life of a Jedi - simple, but perfectly balanced." He raised his glass to his lips. "So tell me about yourself, young Ranma. Where are you from?"

Ranma shrugged. "Well... it's pretty far out in the Unknown Regions. The planet is somewhat behind technologically; we've only just started to learn space travel."

"I was on my way back from an exploratory mission when my ship ran out of supplies," Eilsa supplied. "When I stopped off at the nearest inhabited planet... I found her." She shook her head. "The Force wills as it wills."

"So it does," Palpatine agreed. His eyes turned back toward Ranma. "So. Tell me more about your home planet."

"Well..." Ranma shrugged. "It's pretty difficult to describe. Unlike here, where there are thousands of planets brought together under one republic, we're still ruled pretty separately, with each region of the planet with its own country. We've only just begun space travel there; we've only traveled as far as our own moon, and even there, we haven't stayed long." She shrugged. "I lived on an island off of the main continent, so I didn't get to see much of the planet, to be honest."

"Ah. I see." The Chancellor's eyes twinkled, though with what Ranma wasn't sure. "How have you been adapting to life in the Jedi Corps?"

Ranma brightened. "It's been fun!" Out of the corner of her eye, Mace winced. "I get to spar with Master Windu every day, and study what it means to be a Jedi with Master Yoda!" She grimaced. "Wish I didn't have to read so much, though..."

Palpatine took a sip of his drink, a smile plastered on his face. "Now, Ranma. As I understand it, you should be used to hard work. In fact, I've heard you've trained to become quite the warrior, even going so far as to hold your own against the best Jedi masters."

Ranma blanched. "I lost the last fight, though..." On sensing the question from Palpatine, she nodded over to Anakin. "I... used to have a phobia of felines. Got it fixed, but still hadn't realized how it affected me when fighting. Anakin found out about the phobia, did some research, and rowwwred in my face right in the middle of our fight." Ranma blinked; the cat's meow had sounded scarily authentic. "The sound startled me; by the time I recovered, it was too late."

The Chancellor was full into laughter at the story. "Marvelous, Anakin! An excellent stratagem!" His eyes turned back to her, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I presume you've learned something from this?"

Ranma shrugged. "Yeah. I learned that I had to desensitize myself to the reaction of hearing felines. Also got it drilled into me how book learning can be useful in a fight."

The Chancellor nodded. "In order to be effective with the Force - indeed, with any use of power - you must be able to see with unclouded eyes. Confuse your opponent, and the battle is yours before the struggle has begun."

Ranma nodded. Strategy she understood. Strategy he obviously understood, given the warrior's presence he was sensing from her. "Yes, sir." She was about to launch into a description of a fight she had against Mousse back on Earth, when she realized just how inappropriate it would be. That was another time - another person ago.

To her relief, Palpatine turned his gaze over to Anakin, and she relaxed. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any more questions anytime soon.

oooooo

Eilsa shook herself, none of the methods she knew, or even Master Nu could find would activate this holocron. There -was- a active signature, meaning the Holocron would work, but... what method did Revan use to lock it. "Huttslime!" She cursed, catching Ranma's attention from her datapad.

"Master?" The young padawan asked.

"I cannot get this to work. While we've lost knowledge since the Civil war and the Dark Ages, most of the methods of Holocron activation have been kept. I've shown you some of them, after all." Eilsa shook her head, and tossed the holocron to Ranma. "You try. It's always possible it requires a really strong force presence to activate. Some were set that way." She watched as Ranma caught it and smiled.

"Okay..." Ranma went into lotus, and went though three methods of activation. At the end of the third, a hologram appeared.

"Greetings, Descendant. If my vision was right, you are watching me at the right time. If not..." Eisla stared at the Hologram, as well as her apprentice, as the hologram shrugged and continued. "I am Aritian Revan. Jedi and Knight of the Republic. Once Darth Revan, Sith Lord, though I have rejected that." Both living Jedi stared.

"I suspect your master might be wondering why you could activate the Holocron, while she could not. It's quite simple. Its bloodlocked, which how to do is described later. However, I did this for a reason. If I'm right in my vision, my greatest mistakes will come to light at the same time you do, descendant, and the fate of the universe will rest on what choices you and another will make. I made this holocron... for you, for that moment, when you will choose." The hologram bowed, and then one last line from the small figure was heard, before it faded out. "May the Force be with you... for you will need it."

oooooo

Ranma stared at the ceiling, pondering what she had heard. Eilsa had already departed to talk with someone, so for a while, she was alone, in the night.

"Why me?" Ranma asked the uncaring darkness. "Why am I the one that it all comes down to?" No answer, not that the redhead expected one.

She already knew the answer, of course. She didn't like the answer, but it was one she knew to her core.

Martial Artist, Jedi... there was no difference to be honest. She chose to be the one who stood her ground, to stand for those who could not stand for themselves. Fate just made sure she was in the right place at the right time to do so.

For most of her life, she had wondered why this happened to her. It seemed uncanny, almost a curse; trouble seemed to know exactly where she was. Had she insulted some kami; was this her fate to be constantly at the center of the storm?

Her time here, on Coruscant had taught her why. For all the mysticism of the Force, she understood that it had a will, and it was its own. It sent her where she was needed; it gave her just enough to weather the storm.

The Force did as it will, and her calling did the rest. Her previous life had shown her in hindsight how to destroy, what it meant to walk in darkness. This life was meant to show her how to save lives, how to walk in the light.

Ranma tossed, and finally gave up, and got up to look out the window. "It's my choice. As always." Ranma rubbed her face. "This is not going to be fun."

oooooo

Eilsa sipped the tea she held in her hands, warming herself. She saw the other two masters across from her, do the same, deeply troubled by the news she had brought them.

"Sith. I was hoping..." Mace trailed off, letting the other two Jedi understand what he was going to say. Two nods replied to him.

"So, the Darkness Begins, I see." Yoda's voice was old, tired, and most of all, defeated.

"Master Yoda, surely..." Eilsa trailed off, accepting the quiet rebuke in the aged master's eyes.

Yoda sighed, and took a sip of his tea. "Hope, we had. Hope for peace. Hope for our young Padawans, that they were simply gifted, and not bound by the Force." His ears perked up; his brow furrowed. "Hope we still have. Hope for our Republic and our galaxy. Hope for our padawans, that they have the strength to get through their trials. And hope for all Jedi, that we come through this... stronger than before."

"But who can we trust?" Mace asked as he stood to look out the gleaming skyline.

"The force, what else?" Eilsa stood next to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "As always. Put your faith there."

"But the Force isn't just our ally this time." Mace said hollowly.

Yoda's ears rose. "Defeated already, Windu?" A swift cane strike against a leg. "Learned better you should have, else why be on Council?" He watched as Windu rubbed his leg. He turned to Eilsa, leaving Mace with a parting thought. "There is no try. There is only do. Know this, you do. The Force ally of all."

Mace nodded, and bowed to Yoda. "Forgive me, Master Yoda."

"Wisdom you have. Wisdom you have shown. Wisdom you will need, Eilsa." Yoda's voice grew stronger as he continued. "So you may pass it along to your padawan, so she makes the right choices... as we hope Obi Wan can do."

"Will you inform him, Master Yoda?" Mace asked respectfully, letting the decision rest on the aged Grand Master, who had lead the Order for countless generations.

"Not, I think. Too much stress is already on him. Additional burden, this would be, and unfair to both." Yoda sighed, and held his glimstick. "Hope for the best we must, and as always, trust in the Force, for it will be with us."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: (Andrew) Wow, been a while... hasn't it? I hope you enjoy this, and with a bit of luck, the next won't take as long. This chapter is mostly setup, which explains why it took me so long.

Balance of Force

Chapter 5:

The Quiet

By Andrew "MageOhki" Norris and Nick Leifker

* * *

Eilsa Jardon smiled as she looked over the crowd. Republic Day was always a celebration to look forward to, but this year was rare form. The Corps was celebrating on one of the Senate courtyards, prime real estate for a party; even better, the Chancellor himself, as well as several prominent Senators, were in attendance.

While the party might not be as wild as it could be, in terms of food and the quality of the celebration, it didn't get much better than this. She'd tried a few of the hors d'oveures, and was suitably impressed; whoever was doing the cooking was one of the best.

She looked over at her padawan, and breathed a small sigh of relief. Ranma was clearly enjoying herself, talking with Anakin and several other padawans. For a few months, she'd been worried that Ranma would never fit in, that Anakin would be her only friend in the Corps; however, she'd more than proven herself to a majority of the padawans, and had earned her reputation as the one person you wanted guarding your back. In fact, only Sangrous and his gang had yet to accept her.

As for Ranma's "other half"... while it wasn't commonly known, Windu occasionally invited the "gifted youngling" to add a wrinkle to his training exercises.

Eilsa's eyes turned to the Chancellor, as he rose from the table. Senators and High Council Jedi sat around him, all together to celebrate the Republic. The Chancellor raised his glass, and all was silent.

"Good evening, friends, colleagues, honored Jedi. I've always enjoyed a party such as this - especially on a day like this. A politician's life is never easy; it feels good to take a day off and to celebrate our accomplishments."

"For millenia, our galaxy has been held together with a promise, based on several truths. We are stronger together than we are alone. We are wiser together than we are alone. And, finally, that working together as one galaxy toward peace is a far greater goal than any war.

"From these ideas, our Republic was born. Thousands of planets and races of sentient beings, all with a voice so that none may suffer in silence. But all there for one goal in mind: a common peace, a common good, an honorable Republic.

"So today, we honor those who have worked hard to build this Republic we love so much. Think about them; think about those who have sacrificed to keep our Republic alive." A mournful silence hung over the crowd for a moment.

After the dramatic pause, the Chancellor smiled. "But this is not a time to mourn. Come, my friends! Eat, drink! Enjoy the fireworks! This is a celebration; let us celebrate!"

A half-dozen rockets fired in the background behind the Chancellor; Eilsa's eyes followed their trails as they made their way into the sky. There was just something beautiful about the blossom of fireworks...

Eilsa frowned. Fireworks weren't supposed to start downward, especially not in that direction...

"Move!" Before anyone else could act, she saw a group of padawans scatter; in the empty space were two padawans she knew well. In that moment, she understood what was going on, and who they were targeting.

Ranma and Anakin shared a glance; the two waited until the very last moment, then leapt just as the first pair of rockets flew in, detonating at their feet.

In that moment, she was proud of the pair. They'd cleared any other potential victims from the blast, then used the blast and a judicious use of the Force to propel themselves from the explosion. Unfortunately, only two of the rockets detonated - and four more were coming fast. Ranma's eyes moved toward the buffet, and Eilsa suddenly had a bad feeling.

Ranma had been carried high into the air by the blast; to Eilsa's horror, several dishes followed her, carried by the Force. As they both expected, two of the rockets adjusted their courses to follow her; Ranma placed two dishes in between the rockets and herself, the contact causing them to detonate.

The result was, sadly, predictable. Alderaan Stew and Deneelian fizz-pudding rained down upon the crowd. A few Jedi were fast enough to shield themselves from the rain; most, however, weren't quite that fast.

"Anakin, no!" Obi-wan shouted next to her, but they both knew it was too late. Anakin lifted several dishes of his own from the buffet; a second later, kirf wedges and roddenberry pie joined the dinner currently served on Jedi heads and shoulders.

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the dripping of food and sauces. Finally, an all-too-familiar voice made itself heard. "You two are pathetic Jedi," Sangrous sneered. "Can't you even stand still right?"

Ranma's gaze turned toward Sangrous, and Eilsa knew trouble was coming. Sangrous' words weren't spontaneous - they were PLANNED. Which meant he was behind this - and Ranma knew it. And the glare Ranma was giving the padawan was one she rarely saw, but had learned to fear. Ranma was upset. For all the experience behind those blue eyes, Ranma still had the body of a seven-year-old. And that seven-year-old body, spiked with adrenaline from her close call, screamed for revenge.

Before she or anyone else could react, the entire table of food rose several feet into the air, and began to fly. Trajectories and velocities differed, everything from high-speed cake to lobbed dewback ribs. All, however, had the same target: one padawan, who suddenly found himself isolated from his colleagues as they backed away.

Sangrous, it should be noted, was a decent padawan. He'd learned some Force deflection. A flock of roast Gorak was deflected and sent straight at the High Council table; a plate of ootoowergs scattered across the flock of padawans.

Still, he couldn't deflect everything. The aforementioned cake came in way too fast, and he found himself with whipped cream for makeup; the ribs had slipped his detection, and they and their sauce decorated themselves on his shoulders.

After only a few seconds, Sangrous was painted from head to toe in dozens of dishes, ranging from Thakitillo to Vagnerian Canapes. Unfortunately, few of these dishes could truly be called dry; what didn't stay on Sangrous spread to nearby padawans. Of course, what Sangrous was able to deflect went everywhere else.

Eilsa's gaze traveled to the High Council table, and she gulped. The Chancellor calmly wiped the baked yot beans from his eyes; Master Windu used a napkin to wipe ryshcate remains from his face. Master Yoda calmly pulled a thin strip of nerfsteak from one of his ears.

After a moment, the napkin fell from Windu's face. The glare in his eyes spoke volumes. "Padawan Saotome?"

Ranma bit her lip. "Yes, Master Windu?"

He took another deep breath. "Padawan Skywalker?"

Anakin gulped. "Yes, sir?"

He took a third deep breath. "Padawan Sangrous?"

Sangrous blinked. "What did I do?"

Windu glared at him. "You three will clean this mess - WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT - until this area is spotless. After which, you will IMMEDIATELY report to the Council chamber. Is that understood?"

Three meek "yes sir"s marked his response.

* * *

Though Ranma would never admit it, the planet looked far more appealing to her eyes than Coruscant. Unlike the black and gold that represented the eternal city-planet, the planet in front of her felt far more like home. Greens, blues, and browns stared back at her from the abyss of space, calling to the part of her that desired to play.

She'd never admit it, of course, because this was supposed to be a punishment for her. She kept her face neutral as she stared at it.

"So, Master... what's this place supposed to be like?"

Eilsa raised an eyebrow at the padawan's question. "It's a library that requires a great deal of work. According to what Master Nu told me, their library recently uncovered a large number of Jedi materials from the period shortly after the Restoration, materials that are both fragile and irreplaceable. There were no holocrons from this time period; these are physical papers and books that need to be cataloged and replicated. As you have shown such incredible fine control for your telekinesis and are not unfamiliar with working with paper, it was determined that you should be the one to help this library with its inventory."

Ranma frowned. "I was referring to the planet."

Eilsa grinned. "I know you were. The planet is called Corellia; as you're here to work in the library, you don't need to know anything beyond that."

"Aw, come on, Master..." Ranma whined. "It's not like I'm going to spend every minute in the library..."

Eilsa sighed. "Ranma, this is a punishment. You messed up – messed up in such a way that, for the most part, we weren't sure what to do with the three of you, except get you off Coruscant for awhile to cool off. This little feud has gone too far, and the three of you need to either put it behind you or get out. Master Kenobi is taking Anakin on an extended diplomatic mission to Nal Hutta; Master Luxal and Sangrous are assisting Master Dooku – sorry, Count Dooku, as he's removed himself from the Jedi Corps – in his negotiations with worlds negatively affected by the Trade Federation conflict." She sighed. "None of these tasks are going to be particularly pleasant. The fact that Anakin is going to Nal Hutta of all places should tell you something."

Ranma huffed. "Not my fault he reprogrammed the rockets to bead on my Force signature..."

"But it WAS your and Anakin's fault that he ended up covered in every food imaginable," Eilsa countered. "Ranma... when one of your screw-ups becomes the most watched holovid in the Republic... when you personally contribute to the dry-cleaning bills of the Chancellor and a dozen Senators... it's pretty big." She put a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "You need to control your temper, Padawan. Acting on impulse, without considering the consequences, is the fastest way to get people hurt."

"Yes, Master..." Ranma sighed, all the while focusing on the lands below and imagining genuine outdoor training. It wasn't like she would spend ALL of her time stuck in the library...

* * *

Inwardly, Ranma smiled.

She was in familiar territory, though she'd never let them know that. Dojos and temples were notorious for rooms like this. A film of dust covered everything; she could see the few places where hands had made contact or moved objects around, but for the most part the place remained pristine. Library shelves – with physical, paper books – stared back at her, a combination of blank-spined personal journals and titled books, their contents barely announced beneath the dust.

"So. You want me to clean up what's here."

"More than that, Padawan," Master Nejaa Halcyon replied as he stroked his beard. "You'll notice the 2D scanner set up in the next room. These are delicate items, so delicate that most papers will not abide the hands of sentients. What we want you to do is move each paper under the scanner using the Force. It's designed to operate automatically; all you have to do is move the paper underneath the scanner, wait until it beeps, then move it into that sealer there; it will seal the item in carbonite until such time as it's needed again."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you do it?"

Halcyon coughed. "It is a weakness of my family. We can't use the Force for telekinesis; never have." He smiled wryly. "Besides, your skill with Force telekinesis has already been well-established."

Ranma sighed. "I'm not going to live that down, am I?"

"Not likely, Padawan," Nejaa replied, a smug grin plastered on his face. "Not likely. Although, if it does make you feel better, you've directly affected the training regimens of our padawans here."

"How so?" Ranma replied.

Nejaa pulled out a holocron and activated it with a thought. Within the small hologram, children flew around in a pattern that almost seemed random. As she noted the details, Ranma blinked.

"You mean you never thought of using the Force to fly before now?"

Nejaa shrugged. "Well, we never thought of using that particular method. Usually we'll propel ourselves a bit more on a jump with the Force; what your method did was show us how to use current environmental conditions along with Force shields to propel us – and to glide us down safely afterwards." He grinned. "You've just taken us – most of us, anyway – into three-dimensional combat."

Ranma frowned. "That doesn't make me feel much better, sir. I'm wondering why it took so long for people to come up with it." She shrugged. "Then again, I was taught to think in three dimensions since I was born, so..."

Nejaa's eyebrows rose. "You may have to show me those lessons sometime."

The words caught Ranma cold. She knew the lessons given to toddlers and newborns in her family's art. Now, though, those lessons carried such a different meaning, both good and bad. She didn't miss her father often... but at that moment, she found herself wanting one more spar with him. "Y-yes, sir. They aren't Jedi lessons, though."

Nejaa nodded. "I kind of figured that. No offense, but you don't seem like the type that's been in the Corps since birth. You think too much on your feet for a Coruscant Jedi, and you have too little impulse control, even for one of your age." He puffed his chest out slightly. "Oh, I don't mean to insult. In fact, one of the reasons why this praxeum exists is to provide a different view of the Force. Frankly, sometimes the old guard can be too stuffy for its own good. Stay inflexible for too long, and..." His eyes cast over to the dusty room that awaited them.

"And you get as old and stale as the papers in this room," Ranma finished. She started to walk gingerly through the stacks of papers. "So. I'm guessing there's probably some things you're particularly interested in. Anything I should look for?"

* * *

Ranma was really starting to like Corellia.

When she'd arrived at Coruscant a year ago, the differences from Earth had been subtle: a little less oxygen in the air, but the gravity was almost exactly the same. Adjusting, therefore, had been a trivial matter.

Corellia, on the other hand, had two major differences from Earth or Coruscant: a higher oxygen content, and roughly 70 of the gravity of Coruscant or Earth. For someone whose martial art was grounded, so to speak, in aerial combat, Corellia was heaven – or, at least, a really fast way to get there.

Still, she knew the curse of such a planet. She had to work her muscles harder to keep them from atrophying in the lower gravity. Hence her current activity.

A couple of months ago, she'd had the chance to see Yoda in combat against Master Windu. It was a masterwork; Yoda knew exactly how to keep Windu off balance as he used the walls, ceiling, Windu's lightsaber, Windu himself, and anything else in the room to propel himself around. Windu, to his credit, held himself up fairly well against the assault, but couldn't hold up forever.

For someone like Ranma, who'd been born to aerial combat and understood what worked and what didn't, it was coming back home. They might touch you if they were lucky, but if you never stop moving and never provide a pattern for them to bead on, they were shooting in the dark. The targets she'd launched couldn't focus fast enough on her bounding form; at the same time, she always knew when and where to be.

The scary part of the exercise? Disarming those damned drones – by hand. Still, it seemed to be working; she'd taken care of three of the four so far. Now if only this last one would sit still long enough...

"Hello?"

Ranma grimaced. The drone, if it could have, would have salivated. It beaded on the newcomer and zoomed to the open door. Ranma gritted her teeth, bounded just to the left of the drone, and grabbed it just as the drone sent out a blast.

"Ow," Ranma winced as she switched the drone off, then looked up. "Hello."

Ranma got a look at the newcomer. If the age was any indication, she was probably a padawan: human, roughly 11 years old. She was tall, but carried herself as though she wasn't used to her body; Ranma guessed she had recently hit a growth spurt, as Jusenkyo was in a galaxy far, far away. Her bronze skin and dark eyes shone in the light, as she brought a hand up to her face. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware anyone was..." Her voice trailed off. "It's you, isn't it?"

Ranma blinked. "Me?"

The girl grinned. "The one at the Republic Day dinner. I heard that one of you was headed here to help out with the library find..."

"Oh," Ranma groaned. "Yeah, it's me."

The girl let out a delighted squeak. "Oh, that was so cool! I mean, how many people can honestly say they started a Jedi food fight – with the Chancellor watching!"

Ranma shook her head. "I... yeah. I messed up, though; I should have just lifted everything and dumped it straight on Sangrous' head. Too much velocity, and..." Ranma pantomimed the splatter, for effect.

"But that was the fun part!" the girl exclaimed. She then blinked and stuck out her right hand. "Oh, I'm Lysa. And you are...?"

Ranma accepted the hand. "Ranma. Saotome Ranma." She looked around. "So. What kind of training do you do here?"

"This room's used for lightsaber training, whether with drones or with other people." Lysa looked down at her feet and blushed. "I haven't been doing well in that lately, so..."

"Let me guess: balance all off, right?" Ranma grinned. "Yeah, that'll take some getting used to. Practice will help keep you sharp, if nothing else; problem is, it won't really settle for a few more years."

Lysa grimaced. "You're probably right... how do you know so much about that, anyway?"

Ranma shook her head. "Before I was found by the Jedi, my dad taught me whatever he could about martial arts. He expected me to learn – and, one day, he expected me to teach." Her face fell. "He was killed shortly before I was brought to Coruscant."

"Oh," Lysa replied. She shuffled her feet for a moment. "So... are you being trained as a Guardian, then?"

"Consular, more likely," Ranma replied. "Master Jardon insists I do this whole 'book learning' stuff so that I can work on consular missions. She and Master Yoda have mentioned this 'Sentinel' title... never seen anybody with it, though. Anyway... I dunno. Me and diplomacy never got along very well." She looked over at Lysa's practice lightsaber. "Do you mind a bit of practice? I may be able to see what's wrong with your technique..."

* * *

"Humm... if I'm going to take you to see the sights on Corellia, better snag some credits. C'mon!" Lysa grabbed Ranma and dragged her out of the library, where the stacks of books to be recorded and preserved had been steadily shrinking, especially with Lysa's help to store the data and move the books to the carbonite chamber.

Before Ranma could stop her, Lysa had stopped in front of a small office, where a Jedi was studying.

Lysa paused. "Hey, Lundia. Can I get some credits to go out? Want to show Ranma the places where we hang out." The older woman grinned and nodded. "Sure, Lysa. Stay out of Glitterhall, and watch for the swifters, mind you!" Lunida handed Lysa a small stack of coins and smiled at Ranma. "Poor poor Coruscanti Jedi. We do things differently outside those high walls."

"Thanks, Lundia!" Lysa waved as she grabbed Ranma's hand, and prepared to leave. She was stopped by a tart comment from the older Jedi.

"Find out if Wynesa or Talin wants to go, younglings! Remember your fellows." She smiled, lessening the implicit rebuke, and added. "Show her how we do things on Corellia."

Lysa grinned back, and led Ranma to the garage. "She's right. From what I've been told, none of you get to leave the Temple even as apprentices, unless on a mission, or under supervision." She sniffed, and grinned. "Hell, I bet none of you know where the malls are, on Coruscant. Much less the Aradecs!"

"Um... what's a Aradecs?" Ranma paused, noting the slightly stunned expression on Lysa's face.

Lysa shook her head. "... well, I'll show you. Let's see if Wynesa or Talin is open. Talin's cute." She was rewarded with a blank stare from the younger Jedi, and she shook her head again.

Ranma watched as the older girl tapped a com console, and waited, receiving two responses. "So?" the younger girl asked.

"Wynesa isn't, her master has her doing something, but Talin is coming." Ranma heard the girlish sigh in Lysa's voice, and shook her head. Never ever would she sigh over some boy.

Ranma and Lysa waited in companionable silence, and were quickly rewarded by a set of rapid footsteps, and a slightly older young man strode in. "Lysa... and oh, Ranma" He smirked at the redhead, who shot a glare at the amusement in his voice. "So, they're letting you out after your little stunt?" His tone was amused, and Ranma's eyes sent a flat stare at the golden haired, blue eyed teenager.

"We're not prisoners." Ranma's flat tone matched Talin's glee. "We're Jedi, and supposed to do our tasks diligently and with dispatch" She watched both older padawan's expressions carefully, and hid a smile. Who knew copying Eilsa's frequent speeches paid off in payback ability.

"Ack! Lysa! Where did you find this ... this... Coruscanti! I thought she was one of us! Not a prim and proper little Council drone!" Talin's words were counteracted by the overblown grasping of the chest, and staggering back.

Lysa's face was in her hand. "She got you good, Talin. Accept it." Talin nodded.

"Not that I didn't deserve the blast, but I'm sure you didn't call me just to get that, Lysa." Talin's eyebrows rose, and his tone became more serious.

"Well, we're going to hit Sado's Aradac, and Lundia suggested you or Wynesa come along. Plus, I don't have my speeder license yet. You... do." She smirked at the older boy.

Talin winced. "Which is a good thing. Considering the LAST time you ... acquired a speeder." He shook his head, and scooped up a card. "We'll take that one," he pointed his head at an older one, and watched as Ranma moved towards it, and Lysa followed. "You both did check out, right?" He was rewarded with a sharp nod from Lysa, and a slightly puzzled look from Ranma who climbed in the back seat.

"Oh... for the love of. Yes, she did, Talin. Lundia saw us both leave." Talin nodded.

"Fair enough." He slid across the front of the speeder, and hopped into the control seat. "Hang on."

* * *

After a short trip, Talin slid the speeder into a slot. "Here we are. Got some extra credits, Lysa?" He was rewarded with a small handful. "Gee... thanks."

Lysa smirked back. "Well, I have to have some for Ranma and me, no?" She was rewarded with a grin from Talin. "Anyways, let's go play! I heard from Teela they uploaded a new character or two to Rogue Knight!" Talin grinned back at the words.

Ranma trailed the two older Jedi padawans, listening half heartedly to their conversation, mostly about things she really didn't recognize, and eyed the various people. She loved to people watch in Nerima, and on the road, so she was glad to get the chance to do it here. Eilsa had kept her mostly in the Temple on Coruscant, and she didn't get a chance to see anyone, except stuffy old politicians, or Jedi. As she watched the flow of people of all ages, and races, she realized, just like home. People are people.

Suddenly her eyes narrowed at two people, but before she could examine them, a voice called out. "C'mon Ranma, let's -go-!" Lysa called out, breaking her thoughts.

The two men watched as the redhead dashed towards the other Jedi. "So?" The gravelly voice responded. "She was the one in the holovid, no?" He was rewarded with a nod, and a glance at the scanner. "She... seems powerful, if this is working."

"Yes... she'll do nicely." The younger of the pair showed a dark smile as he looked at the older man. "Once... properly shown her ... path." He was rewarded with a nod.

"Let's discuss how we will... acquire her. We were going to settle for acquiring one of the others, but..." Both men walked off, still talking.

Ranma felt a slight shiver down her spine, but as she was walking into the air conditioned room, she didn't chalk it up to anything, and caught up with Lysa and Talin, who were waiting in line for one holostation.

"Oh." Lysa turned and grinned.

"Never seen anything like this, I bet." Lysa's grin was added by Talin. "It's fun, playing Hologames." She was rewarded by a look from Ranma.

"Oh, I didn't realize we were going to an Arcade. Been to a few on my home planet, though we didn't have holo tech." Ranma's smirk neatly disarmed both Corellians. "Though I never DID see the point." Her innocent look towards the two older ones got a response.

"... hoo, not a Temple drone after all, eh, Lysa?" Talin's expression was slightly chagrined. "Guess this will teach us. She clearly doesn't -think- like a Temple Jedi, if the video didn't tell us that."

Lysa nodded, and sent a slight glare at Ranma. "Though she does seem to have their stuffy, fun killing attitude down pat."

Ranma's shrug was a work of art, Lysa thought, as the younger girl responsed. "Nah, just... why play these games, when you can make training fun?" Both of the older padawans looked at each other and blinked. The same thought crossed their minds. "... is she for real?"

"Um... not everything is training." Talin's hesitant expression was clear.

"Then you make it into training!" Ranma's sharp nod settled it into the other two's mind yes, she was serious.

Before the response could come to either older padawans' lips, a spot opened up at one of the games. "Oh, look, Lysa." Talin pointed, and Lysa slipped in, slipping a card into a reader. As the game spun up, she fed it a few coins.

Ranma slid up next to Lysa, and watched as the older girl sent a small figure though battles in the holotank. Ranma's eyes widened as she recognized one of the opposing Jedi, and snickered, drawing a grin from Talin, as the miniature Master Windu was defeated.

Lysa cheered as the display lit up. "Oh, nice. I unlocked the new character... Wonder who it..." She trailed off as all three Jedi saw the small redhead bounce around the tank with a grin.

Ranma's expression, Talin would later describe, only could be called a study. "Greaaaaaat." Ranma just shook her head not beliving it. "I've often THOUGHT I was a character in a game... but..."

"You didn't expect to be one?" Talin grinned. Ranma nodded in response.

They watched as Lysa maneuvered the redhead around, and in a practice bout, triggered the special move the designers gave her. Ranma's groan was only matched by the two older pawadan's laughter as every bit of debris and other items around the mini-Ranma was thrown at her attacker via the game's approximation of Telekinesis.

"You're never going to live it down, Ranma." Lysa got out between her giggles. "Just accept your destiny!" Talin broke down in helpless gales of laughter at the flat stare Ranma gave both of the padawans after she lowered her hands.

She turned back to see Lysa get the mini-Ranma defeated. "Hey! I'd not fall like that, and NOT to Obi-wan." Ranma fumed a bit as Lysa snickered.

"He did defeat a Sith, Ranma" Talin attempted to soothe the fuming redhead. "And it's only a game. Though they did make your moves complex. It takes time to learn. Why don't you try?" Talin nodded as Ranma took Lysa's place, and Lysa slipped in a blank memory card.

"This will be your card, so you can update your profile, so you can get special characters! Like... yourself." Lysa smirked.

Both Jedi stared as Ranma quickly burned though a few credits learning the game, and then their jaws dropped as Ranma quickly moved though the full tournament mode with skill. As the final match of the first round finished, Ranma turned and grinned at both of them.

"See? Training. Hand eye coordination." Lysa and Talian twitched at Ranma's comment and grin. They twitched more, as instead of herself, Ranma picked Master Windu's avatar, as her second round character.

"Why him, instead of yourself, or Master Fay? I mean, it looks like they based you off her basic special attacks, though you have a lightsaber." Lysa asked curious as Ranma spun the miniature Weaponmaster around in the practice round.

"Oh, I spar most everyday against him. I'm curious to see how he is in the game." Ranma blinked as she triggered the special move.

"Maybe you can answer this. Is that even -possible- for a Jedi?" Talin sounded dubious.

Ranma watched as her mini-Windu quietly worked his way though a few Knights, only to lose to Master Yoda, which she nodded at. "Uh... " Ranma trailed off, pondering Talin's question.

Talin quirked a smile. "From your comment, I take it IS possible." he grinned

Ranma held out a hand and carefully tapped into the Force without emotions, as Yoda kept harping at her, and a small ball of blue white energy appeared on her hand. Lysa and Talin gasped, as Ranma released it, letting it dissipate, and they watched as Ranma panted.

"Wow..." Lysa breathed.

"NOT easy." Ranma caught her breath and added, "especially doing it without a focusing element. From what Master Yoda says, if you use an emotion, you risk becoming too attuned to the element, and that'll lead to the Dark Side. Depending on what emotion you use, but he warns against all." Ranma rolled her eyes, with a grin. "Likely right, but I could make it bigger using confidence. But... that's ego."

Both older Padawans nodded, grasping what Ranma was saying. Lysa blinked. "Wait... this is the same as Force lightning the Sith use, just a variant, isn't it?" She was rewarded with a nod. "... and they use hate, and anger." Ranma shrugged.

"Dunno, but likely right. I used confidence, but I know someone who used depression." Talin winced, adding it up.

"Damm... on second thought, I'm not going to ask how to do that." Talin's shudder was rewarded by a grin from Lysa and a 'duh' look from Ranma.

"Won't teach it, not without permission, and well... Yoda isn't too pleased I can do it, even without emotion." Ranma shrugged. "Though he does like another force attack I have. Odd."

The conversation changed, as Talin took his turn at the game, and Lysa went off to get snacks.

* * *

Ranma shook her head as the three young padawans walked out of the Aradec. She felt a chill again, and tightened her robe, as she hurried to catch up with the two arguing padawans, who were arguing where to go next.

"So, want to eat, or do you want to catch a holofilm?" Talin asked. Ranma shook her head.

"Nah, rather go back. Tired." Ranma yawned, and then got an annoyed expression on her face.

"Oh... yeah, you're still young." Lysa shrugged as she hopped in the speeder, and Ranma got into the back seat.

Talin nodded, and started the speeder. "It's hard to remember that. I mean, sure you're human, but most of us just see the fact you're already one of the 'known' pawadans..." He trailed off to Ranma's stare that he felt... "Well, c'mon. You dine with the Chancellor, you are a padawan to one of the noted scholars of the order, you're in the news... and several other Jedi talk about your skills already. It's hard to remember you're seven." He grinned as he drove them back to Ranma's snort.

"Yeah. He's right. Most of the time, Jedi don't get noticed, not really. It's what we're supposed to strive for." Lysa grinned at Talin's snort. "Well, in theory anyways. But... it's nice to see noted Jedi doing what they do for the Republic." All three padawans nodded at that. "And well, when a pair of padawans defeat an assassination attempt... Especially young ones, people are going to expect great things of them." Lysa stopped at Ranma's guffaws of laughter.

"You think it was an attempt at assassination? Naw, it was a stuck up padawan trying to show me and Anakin up!" Ranma grinned.

"Uh... but the Holonews reported it as an assassination attempt on the Jedi council and the Supreme chancellor, that you and Anakin heroically defeated." Lysa turned to look at the disbelieving Ranma. "Um... I can show you the video, if you want." She sighed at Ranma's nod.

"Um... tomorrow." Ranma yawned. "Rather sleep now." Ranma yawned again, as the speeder swept towards the Corellian Temple's landing pad.

Talin nudged Lysa. "Looks like someone didn't get the message we were headed out, does it." Lysa looked at Eilsa and Halcyon and winced.

"We didn't do anything wrong." Lysa attempted to defend herself as the speeder shut down, preempting the masters. Ranma yawned and climbed out blinking at Lysa's comment, then the two masters.

"I know, and you even followed the rules, Lysa... but..." Haylcon trailed off, and Eilsa picked up the thread.

"I didn't know those rules, and Ranma's here not for being a Corellian Jedi, but as a punishment." Eilsa's eyebrows knitted somewhat, and she sighed. "Care to explain, Padawan, just why you thought skittering off to play games was a good idea?"

Ranma yawned again and blinked slighlty. "Um... I wasn't told I couldn't... and Lysa here made it sound like it was okay..." Ranma trailed off lowering her head, knowing that wasn't the right thing to say.

Eilsa lowered her eyebrows more. "Be that as it may. You are my padawan. I need to know where you are. I mean, what if we were called out on a mission or something?" She shook her head, with a lurking smile. "And, you're NOT supposed to go have fun. Corellia is punishment detail for you. Not a chance to go have fun."

Ranma blinked. "Um... the hologames weren't fun. Training! They got... mmpph." Ranma's voice was cut off by Talin's putting his hand over her mouth.

Master Halcyon laughed. "So, you showed her Rogue Knight..." Eilsa and the two older Padawans turned to look at the Corellian master. "Oh, it's been around for ages. Ol' Jac has just been updating it with new Jedi. So any new ones since I last played?" Halcyon turned a impish grin on his temple's padawans.

"Uh... you aren't supposed..." Lysa stopped and realized how silly it sounded... "But... we were told no Master knew about it..."

Halcyon laughed. "I wasn't born a master... and well, it's Coruscanti Jedi who usually don't know." He turned his smile towards Eilsa. "Oh, about when I was born, some brilliant wit had the idea of a hologame made up of Jedi fighting each other." He grinned looking at Eilsa's expression. "The royalties go to the field temples and academies, helping us out, and the public gets to see what some of the Jedi can do in combat. Win win, really."

"... Why hasn't the Council been told?" Eilsa finally managed.

"Well... because they'd disallow it, and really. It's actually a -good- thing." Halcyon shrugged slightly. "Think on it. So. Besides the usual masters, anyone new?" He grinned at the three blinking Padawans.

"Um... they got Ranma already". Talin suddenly grinned. "And such a cool special attack." He continued with the raised eyebrow. "She telekinetically grabs... ooof!" Talin's voice cut out with a sharp kick to the leg.

Halcyon's laughter rang. "I can guess. Go, children and eat. I'll calm Eilsa down."

* * *

Ranma bounded from perch to perch as Mace attacked relentlessly, his Vaapid style cutting everything in its path. Ranma's preferred method of counter was evasion; she never allowed Mace an easy target to focus on, while tossing rocks and other objects in Mace's direction. Mace stopped for a moment after Ranma threw a rock into his head; it only slowed him down slightly. He started to pull the ground from underneath Ranma to knock her off balance; it succeeded, and soon she was knocked to the ground, a lightsaber at her throat.

Eilsa raised an eyebrow. "Why doesn't she have a lightsaber? If you think she's good with TK, she's absolutely deadly with a saber in her hands."

Halcyon smiled as the "GAME OVER" characters danced across the holovid. "Well, because of the Republic Day incident, she became known for her TK abilities. So, Jac basically made her into a cross between Fay and Yoda – Fay's offensive capabilities, with Yoda's evasion." He scratched his beard. "Also, he'd heard through the rumor mill that Mace had been seeing Master Bant because of combat injuries, so..."

Eilsa sighed as the character choice holoroom popped up. "That is true." She looked at the still statues in the room, most friends she knew – Yoda, Mace, Obi-wan, Fay, Depa, even Halcyon – and a few she didn't. "I'm sorry if I overreacted about Ranma. I should have trusted your students to watch over her."

Halcyon nodded slowly, a frown gracing his rogue's features. "Normally I don't like to interfere with how a Master trains her padawan, but there's a question that's been bothering me." He looked over at the statues. "I've known dozens of masters and padawans, and I've seen just about every reaction a master has to a padawan's mischief." He gestured to the masters in the holoroom. "You didn't react like a normal master would to a padawan going out. What's going on?"

Eilsa sighed. "Well, she is in trouble for what happened at the Republic Day dinner..."

Halcyon shook his head. "Nice deflection; most people would leave it at that. But that still doesn't explain the reaction I saw. Despite the fact that she's probably the scariest seven-year-old I've ever seen, you were terrified that something had happened to her. You were acting more like a parent than a Master." He eyed her speculatively. "Is she...?"

Eilsa jumped, startled. "Oh, no! She's not my child." She took a deep breath. "Is there someplace we can talk without having to worry about eavesdropping?"

Halcyon smiled and nodded. "There's a kaff house nearby. That should work."

A short time later, and Eilsa found herself facing a cup of rek tea and a quizzical expression. She sighed, took a sip of her tea for courage, and looked down at her hands.

"How many six-year-olds do you know with padawan rank in the Jedi Corps?"

Halcyon raised an eyebrow. "Does my son count?"

Eilsa chuckled. "Somewhat." She took a deep breath. "To say Ranma is special is an understatement. She was trained from birth in a backwater end of the cosmos in her family's form of martial arts. What neither she nor her parents knew was that some of these techniques were adapted from Sith techniques."

Halcyon stopped at that. "You mean..."

"When I found Ranma, she was easily the strongest person in the Force I had ever seen. Even then, I would have been hard-pressed to beat her in combat. When I requested to her family that I take her to Coruscant to obtain Jedi training, her mother agreed, but her father – and one other – objected."

She sighed. "That one other was the Grandmaster of her family's school of martial arts. And he was a Sith Lord."

Halcyon's mouth remained open. "Oh. So Ranma..."

Eilsa took a sip of her tea. "In the fight, Happousai – the Sith Lord – demonstrated just why Sith were feared throughout the galaxy. Ranma's father, as well as another of Happousai's students, was killed when Happousai drained them of their life force to heal his own injuries. Two other locals were killed trying to put Happousai down, and several others were injured."

She looked out of the kaffhouse, at the people passing by. "You say I was terrified that something had happened to Ranma. You want the honest truth? Something will happen to Ranma. Things just happen to Ranma – like the Sith Lord, like the Republic Day incident. What scares me is that, despite all she's been taught, one day she'll face something she won't be able to survive on her own – and I won't be there to help her."

Halcyon nodded slowly, then took a sip of his kaff. When the cup left his lips, Eilsa noticed he was smiling. "Master Jardon?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Welcome to parenthood."

Eilsa tilted her head to one side. "Should I be insulted?"

Halcyon shook his head. "No. Just that – and I think you already know this – you're going to have to look at your job very differently from any other Master out there. You're going to have to be more of a normal parent than a Jedi Master." He grinned. "Well, as normal as can be with that kid."

Eilsa sighed. "I... I know." She blinked, on remembering something he'd said earlier. "So... you say you have a child?"

Halcyon nodded, and pulled out his wallet. Two others were pictured along with Nejaa. One was a woman with a smooth, oval face, laughing blue eyes, and long, slightly-disheveled brown hair. The other was a child, no more than four years of age, who was clearly his father's son; he practically screamed mischief, from the sparkling hazel eyes to the chaotic mop of brown hair. "My wife's name is Scerra; the little terror is named Valin."

Eilsa smiled wistfully at the picture. "Coruscant frowns on its Jedi having children."

"Which is one reason why I'm not on Coruscant," Halcyon replied. "Eilsa, it sounds like you've been given the chance of a lifetime. Take Ranma; raise her as your own. You can't take the place of her parents; no one can. But be her parent where it's called for. She's only seven; that means there's at least a decade of love and pain to go before she's grown up."

"But I..."

"Everyone has doubts when they first become a parent. Truth is, most people have what it takes to be good parents. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of sleepless nights, but the rewards are well worth it."

"A parent, huh?" A parent to a child so talented she could already defeat her master in combat. A parent to the most powerful Jedi discovered in history. A parent to a youngster practically chained by the Force to a path to war.

A parent to someone who needed little Force training – but a lot of training in being a Jedi.

A thousand different thoughts came to mind; in the end, only one word came out.

"Thanks."

* * *

Eilsa looked down at the sleeping child spread out on the bed, and sighed. She reached down to the covers and brought them up to Ranma's neck, tucking her in; Ranma instinctively responded by rolling onto her side, causing Eilsa to chuckle. After a moment, her hand hesitantly reached out to Ranma's bangs; she pushed them out of the way, then kissed Ranma softly on the forehead.

It wasn't something she was comfortable with admitting – and likely something Ranma would never agree to, if asked – but Halcyon was right. She was a mother now. Most padawans came to their masters with enough experience to no longer need nurturing. Ranma was an exception in more ways than one; while she was chronologically older, her first upbringing hadn't paid much attention to her emotional maturity – and she now had a body to match that level of maturity. Ranma would need someone to calm her down when angered, to comfort her when upset – even if it wasn't in the traditional manner a mother might comfort a child.

And that, to be honest, scared her. She'd been taught by the Temple since childhood that raising a Jedi should be a committee affair, so as to keep the bonds of parenting from being used to a Jedi's disadvantage. The Temple was a loving place to grow up, though often she'd wondered what it'd be like to have a mother or father to call her own. Needless to say, the Temple tended to frown on people like Halcyon, though to be honest they preferred to just ignore the other temples and praxea.

She walked out of the room and to a waiting cup of tea. The Temple was facing multiple problems – and she was coming to realize that some of them were of their own making. Jedi numbers were at their lowest levels since before the Reformation. Most Temple Jedi barely glimpsed the galaxy outside anymore; perhaps more disturbing, most people never saw a Temple Jedi. A few Coruscanti Jedi had the sense to go out into the field; however, most of the Jedi that people saw anymore came from Corellia or Taris. Too often, the Council preferred to act behind the scenes, playing the political game rather than dirtying their own hands. And somewhere along the way, Jedi such as herself or Obi-Wan or Fay had become the exception rather than the rule.

Ranma had begun the path of becoming a known Jedi, and even though Eilsa, Yoda and even Windu had tried to steer her toward a love of politics, she was resistant to it. Often, she asked "What about the people..." which led to some scratching of heads. Yoda's saying about children seeing clearer was true in this case; Ranma saw the clarity of the situation. Halcyon's policy of letting his younglings and padawans out and about on their own was paying dividends. Corellia was a very Jedi friendly planet, even more so than Naboo or Coruscant. On Coruscant, they saw the Jedi as policemen, as the Senate's enforcers. On Corellia... they saw the Jedi as people who wanted to do good. She'd had a year to study Ranma, and understood how her padawan learned and thought; while Ranma could work the political game effectively, Ranma would always prefer to act directly, both for and with the people.

The master grinned. There was more than one way to skin a cat, Ranma's mother had stated in a message back. She was right. Eilsa wasn't headed back to the Temple if she could help it. Alderaan would be an excellent place to learn both politics and how to help others on more than a just personal level. And speaking as a heart-mother of a child who loved danger... Alderaan provided one of the safest places to grow up in.

She gulped, though, on realizing one other reason to call Alderaan home for awhile. Time spent on Alderaan would give Ranma a life away from a certain politician who was taking too much interest in her. Although Anakin didn't share it, Ranma didn't trust the Chancellor; while she had difficulty putting it in words, Ranma called it instinctive, and "being in a room with a snake." In other words, the kitten within her was seeing something none of the humans – herself included - could. The kitten knew – and that alone scared her.


End file.
